Cupido Bash!

[cupidobash]

ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE...

...THIS PARTY MAY BE OVER, BUT OUR BONDS ARE RENEWED !

Concept art by the one and only Neuro!

The sun has finally set below the horizon, leaving the sky draped in deep blues and purples, dotted with the endless galaxy of stars above. Throngs of party-goers wander out leisurely, their laughter echoing in the air as the music of the band drifts along behind them. They have partied, feasted, and loved. What the future holds for us all remains unknown, but for tonight, there is no war, no battles to fight, and no tears to shed for lost friends. Tonight, we stand together, and will forever remain united. Love blossoms, and will continue to grow evermore among us.

This is what Dorothea and Fogado wish to remind you all of.

Cupido Bash has officially ended !

TOTAL MATCHES FOUND: 5

ALL PAIRS AND HINTS

BELOW THE CUT: OUR THANK YOU'S & BEHIND THE SCENES!

neuro here! i wanted to start by saying we were blown away at the reception that cupido bash received---we were worried that between the monastery blowing up and boel in march, people would be wary about joining in. suffice to say that did not happen and we are very very glad for it.

i've been in toa for juuust over a year and never thought in a million years that i'd be hosting an event. "i don't know enough about how events work! i suck at planning things!" <- shit i thought about usually. but then sara descended upon me with this one november day:

and the rest is kind of history. we planned...

we joked...

and we even considered national holidays.

planning and executing this event taught me a lot. it also showed me HOW MUCH WORK THESE ARE. but ALSO, above EVERYTHING, it showed me just how much satisfaction there is in making something that everyone has fun doing. seeing everybody go crazy over prompts and start drama at the function had us running to each other's DMs like "DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU SEE THAT?" it was like watching a national sporting event.

so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much for having fun! it means a lot to sara and i that everyone participated so eagerly, especially after lore AND before boel. toa the GOAT as always!!

sara here! can't believe neuro would get this far without dropping valentine spinch!!!!!111!!

jokes aside, i'd like to thank you all for the immense support and enthusiasm you've shown us both throughout the month. it has honestly been incredible.

like neuro, this was also my first time hosting an event, and i was admittedly nervous in the weeks leading up to it. i wasn't sure what the reception would be like, but i was swiftly reminded of why i love this community so much. you all approached this with such joy and unfettered love for one another and your muses, and it blew me away. quite frankly, i had some emotional moments behind the scenes seeing just how much fun everyone was having with each other. leave it to the toasters to foster an environment where we can all come together and create something wonderful, both IC and OOC.

we couldn't have done this without you all, so once more, thank you for taking a chance on us and our little event!! we hope you had a fun time, because we certainly did.

love you all so very much!! ❤️

[cupidobash]

from the sidelines, your hostess approaches, surveying the scene in front of her with a glimmer of amusement and — dare she admit it? — intrigue.

"no rest for the wicked, i see," dorothea says wryly, her eyes scanning faces for the faintest tell-tale signs of fluttering hearts and twisting stomachs. "you'll have to forgive me for stepping aside. though, now that the night is nearly over, i'd love nothing more than to hear all about your budding romances."

she casts a glance at her co-host, her grin growing knowingly.

"well? any recaps i should know about?"

fogado, who has come to rejoin dorothea, merely bows his head, hair covering his burgeoning smile. " ohh, nobody in particular... but i did get to enjoy a nice howl at the moon. boy, there's nothing more refreshing than that!

" now, even though the game's over, " and now he turns to you, grin in full effect, " don't let us stop you from... nudge nudge... laying it on thick with someone you fancy...! "

SPIN THE BOTTLE HAS CONCLUDED!

[cupidobash]

HEADS UP, KISSING FIENDS!

" gooooood afternoon, friends! y'know, between the kissing and howling at the moon, i was goin' over the flier that announced this game... and i realized that we totally forgot to list when the game ended! to be fair, though, this is the only one that'll never end if you were that excited... "

" we'd planned for the game to end at 12:00 PM (EST), but that's not such a great plan when nobody knows that! what about the wrapups?! that last sacred smooch?! d'you pick up what i'm puttin' down?! "

" SO! instead of ending it now, i'm gonna be real nice and give everyone until 6:00 PM (EST) to get their last spins in! oooookie dokie?!?! "

[cupidobash]

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

Sure hope y'all haven't forgotten about your poor, sweet, yearning other-halves! I sure haven't~! And you know who eeeeeeelse hasn't~?

RAFAL

has guessed

ALEAR

to be his partner! Wouldn't ya know it, he's right here next to me, and boy, is his heart racing with anticipation! Big wet eyes and feet-wiggles and the hope that maybe, juuuust maybe, he's struck gold!

The answer iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis...

XXX --- WRONG!!

OOH! Nnnnnot quite. Don't fret; you'll get another hint to follow up with your first. I'll hand it to you shortly!

[cupidobash]

It's the hit party game straight from Solm---all you need's an empty bottle and a group of partiers unafraid of a little intimacy! Round and round and round it goes... Where it stops, nobody knows!

...Shall we go for a spin?

TEAM ONE:

Fogado, Elffin, Forde, Rafal @losojos-decupido, @moriddyn, @renaisguy, @rafent

YOUR SPINNER CAN BE FOUND HERE

TEAM TWO:

Alm, Edelgard, Sylvain, L'Arachel, Hilda @jasperblion @hresvelged @crevassier @far-from-common @delicatevalentine

YOUR SPINNER CAN BE FOUND HERE

TEAM THREE:

Alear, Yunaka, Mark, Pandreo, Shamir @alyration, @dcggersedge, @allyphase, @party-pri3st, @heavy-draw

YOUR SPINNER CAN BE FOUND HERE

TEAM FOUR:

Matthias, Deirdre, Heath, Soren, Olwen @cielenruine, @nagaficat, @loyaldeserter, @senerist, @direthunder

YOUR SPINNER CAN BE FOUND HERE

[cupidobash]

"Well," says one bemused hostess.

She stands in front of what can only be described as a warzone. Several of the baking stations have been scorched to the high heavens, their surfaces steaming and... sizzling. (Quite audibly, at that.) Another station remains covered in a thin layer of ice. The floors have been dusted—nay, showered—with flour, sugar, and salt alike, while jars of ingredients spill forth like colorful fountains. The medley of scents hanging in the air is... unforgettable, to say the least. It's a smell most folks won’t forget anytime soon.

"Guess you did put on a show, intentional or not. That... still counts."

Dorothea stands before you, a strained smile betraying the cheer she tries to maintain, while her co-host is shuffled off to the sidelines for some medical attention.

"Fogado will be okay," she adds, though she's not entirely sure. "I’m told tongues heal quickly. Fortunately for him, considering the next game and all."

"ANYWAY!" A series of loud claps follows. "I know you're all eager to hear who’s won, so without further ado…please give TEAM FIVE a rousing round of applause! Your red velvet whoopie pies impressed—and most importantly, caused no harm. Congratulations~!"

( Whether any of these will ever be seen by the townsfolk is yet to be determined. Thank goodness for Solm’s handy contingency plans. )

 MADE WITH LOVE HAS CONCLUDED!

[cupidobash]

" aaaand last but certainly not least, team 2! " fogado's smile is stretched a little thin. he is praying to whatever god will listen that these are at least salvageable.

" i'll tell you one thing---those hymns miss flayn jammed with? SPECTACULAR! " he exclaims, hands flourishing. " and that number by emble--- sorry, celica? RIVETING! " SURELY this energy was transferred into the cookies. SURELY.

the amount of singing done is not promising in the least.

"hm?" dorothea sounds distracted. looks distracted. celica's frantic waving surely has nothing to do with it. "oh! right. yes, the singing was impressive. infectious energy, to say the least."

her eyes wander to the dish in front of them. to say she is not confident is to state the obvious. the sky is blue. grass is green. the writing is on the wall, clearly, if the scent wafting through the air is any indicator.

"mhm," she says with false cheer. "berry cookies. a treat for us, fogado." 

fogado looks over to celica.

boy, she sure is animated. she looks, like, really excited. fogado smiles a little brighter. " well, if she's ready-freddy, then i'm ready-freddy! clearly these are gonna be the best thing we've had tonight!"

he decides to forego the dramatics of the cloche reveal and just pulls the thing off and stuffs a cookie into his mouth.

ah, the flavors.

so distinctly . . . tart. tangy, even. the jam. . . the dough. . . the absence of egg. . . the blood. . .

the blood?

"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

fogado spits the cookie out and shoves a hand in his mouth. SPLINTERS?!?!?!?!?!  GIRL, WHO IS PUTTING WOOD IN THESE DANG COOKIES???????????????? 

( he should join the opera. really and truly, fogado should, with a note like that. intense, heart-wrenching, and unwavering as he holds it for a good several beats. )

dorothea watches on in horror as he pulls....

what is that?

...from out of his mouth. sharp. most definitely wooden. tinted red now.

"alright," she says hurriedly. “i believe we're done here. we've come to party, not to impale ourselves. are you okay?”

tongue lolling uselessly from his mouth, fogado picks out splinters from his cookie and drops them in the garbage. it is now clear what celica was trying to do back there.

“ …i pthink we thoud get a healer. ”

CONGRATULATIONS, BAKERS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR TASK!

YOUR DISH: BERRY SWEET THUMBPRINT COOKIES

WHAT THE JUDGES GOT: DIY TONGUE PIERCING KITS

TEAM TWO'S FINAL SCORE: 59/114

[cupidobash]

" team four, comin' in hot! you said something about an opera cake, thea---i dunno what that is. do they serve cakes at operas? "

a good-natured laugh rings out. "nope! or at least, not the one i come from. the name actually comes from the dessert's layers. if made correctly, it should resemble the levels of an opera house. it's actually considered rude to eat during a performance."

" ohhh! weird. i feel like askin' people to make cake dioramas is a bit much... but, well, that's okay! everyone did their best, so i'm sure it'll all be okay! "

fogado sweeps the cloche from the serving tray and the smell of salt nearly blows him backwards. " woah. is this supposed to be savory?? " he asks, quickly, voice pitched down so only dorothea hears. " this smells like a port town. like, seriously, there's crazy salt in that thing. "

also, it looks like... well, it... uh... ahem. it... alright, why don't YOU picture what molten chocolate poured directly on to a cake would look like, smart guy?!

...

the word "savory" has her head swiveling around so quickly, it might as well have snapped clean off. "savory? no. what? my goodness...again??"

a frown curls dorothea's lips as she reaches for a nearby fork. he's not wrong. it certainly does smell like it. not that she'll repeat it, of course, lest the good seirosians crucify her for it.

( the opera may not serve opera cakes, but it has taught her the important life skills of flattery and people-pleasing. )

"maybe it'll surprise us." this diva does not sound so convinced. “seteth seemed self-assured in there. very assured, actually. i didn't realize he knew his way around a kitchen.”

seteth's name makes fogado shiver nigh-imperceptibly. " uh, yeah. turns out there's a lot of things we don't expect him to do, huh? " may the holy dragons hit him over the head so hard he forgets what happened in that cage. fogado trades his fork for a spoon and scoops up a decent amount of cake. it smells really salty. it's crazy how salty this thing smells. it's like salt central. goog lird. smiling coolly, he takes his bite

and freezes.

IT'S SO SALTY.

THERE IS SO MUCH SALT. AND IS THAT SOY SAUCE?! the chocolate barely does anything to mask it, so now it's just warm salty mush! AAAAGH! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS!!?!?!??!?!?!?

BUT! BUUUUUUT!!!! YUNAKA! TRIED! HER! HARDEST! and fogado is not going to do ANYTHING to damage fragile relations between girl and party! " mmmm!! he says instead of whatever he is thinking, pulling the spoon from his mouth. " unique flavoring! chocolate and salt and a hint of coffee---now THAT'S something! " he's really downplaying the freaking salt in here. he holds back a dry cough.

on cue, dorothea slides him a glass of water. ( by this round, they've learned to keep it handy. )

"you're so good at this judging thing, fogeykins!" she chirps. "no one knows their way around desserts like you do. i'll take your word for it! "

women suffer enough each and every day. no need to bear additional crosses.

"oh! i do want to give a quick shout out to sothe. sotheykins, i had no idea you were so good at singing!" she claps her hands enthusiastically. supportively! and loudly, so that it drowns out any potential coughing. "we should duet sometime!"

CONGRATULATIONS, BAKERS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR TASK!

YOUR DISH: OPERA CAKE

WHAT THE JUDGES GOT: YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE TELL YOU TO GARGLE SALT WATER WHEN YOU HAVE A SORE THROAT?: THE CAKE

TEAM FOUR'S FINAL SCORE: 64/114

[cupidobash]

YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE.

TEAMS TWO AND FOUR have submitted their dishes. The judges are cleansing their palates, collecting their thoughts, and announcing the results shortly.

[cupidobash]

" ooooh~! team six is up now! you know, fogado, i think this might be the strongest dish yet! both dedue and rafal are quite the bakers."

dorothea beams.

“rafal even baked me a cake for my birthday! and i've gotta say, it was by far one of the best desserts i've had. i think this round is going to be one to remember!”

fogado, despite himself, starts to feel a bit envious. out of everyone, rafal would certainly know how to make a good birthday sweet... gah, but that's besides the point. " i sure hope so. but i'll bet there's no way it could have gone wrong---i feel like there's enough attentive eyes on it! "

aside from the fact that everyone was belting out those tunes like nobody's business...

" ohh-kay! " fogado claps his hands together, then slowly removes the cloche. " big reveaaaal, aaaaaand...! "

...

...

" ...what was their dish again? "

oh! hm. wow!

"a caramel apple tart," dorothea says under her breath. "unless our notes are wrong. i don't believe they are, though."

slowly, she lowers herself so that the dessert is at eye-level. a burnt base for all the eye can see, and the top of the dish slathered in…cream? sugar?

then, softly so that only fogado can hear:

"...with hardly any apples. unless i've suddenly gone blind."

fogado looks from dorothea to the tart, then back to dorothea, then back to the tart. he snickers, first lowly, then higher and higher pitched until he's only barely holding back laughter. " y'know why, " he whispers, tears in his eyes, " s'because rafal kept eatin' the apple slices---hee hee hee heeeeeeeeee!!! "

he wipes his eye and turns to look at the tart fully. patchy in some places, absolutely sopping-wet with cream in others. " i see some candied pecans... smell some ginger... hey, maybe it'll be... a unique flavor? "

as if looking at it wouldn't tell you as much.

he takes a fork and has to push down hard to get a bite on it. he looks to the side. it... SHOULD be safe to eat this. right?

crunch. crunch. crunchcrunch.

...

fogado's face slightly puckers. " ...salty. " his face puckers further. " and, uh. burnt. "

"salty?" comes the dismayed parroting. "...are you sure?"

" yup. "

a wince. "...should i get you a drink?"

" yup. "

CONGRATULATIONS, BAKERS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR TASK!

YOUR DISH: CARAMEL APPLE TART

WHAT THE JUDGES GOT: THE SLUTCH

TEAM SIX'S FINAL SCORE: 64/114

[cupidobash]

YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE.

TEAM SIX has submitted their tart. The judges are cleansing their palates, collecting their thoughts, and announcing the results shortly.

[cupidobash]

" team five, team five... that's the red velvet whoopie pie, yup yup! from what i was seein' over there, though, i'm hoping it's not a whoopsie pie instead... "

" thea, how big are you on red velvet? it's definitely an on-theme little pastry, i can tell you that... but i don't really eat it often! "

" i think i like it well enough, though from what i remember, it's not a dessert that stands out...to me, at least. hopefully our bakers have managed to turn this dish into something memorable!"

she pauses, and leans in close to whisper:

( "...same team that tried to put regular cheese into the batter, yeah?" )

" ( i think those remnants are still sitting on a plate in their kitchen. think if i asked, i could try a bite? ) "

" umm, let's see here... cloche off, and---COUGH! COUGH COUGH. is that--- all sugar?!!? " he blinks a few times, rubbing sugary tears from his eyes. " gee! it's sure---cough---gonna be sweet!! "

the pies themselves aren't too terribly sugar-coated, but it was like somebody had lit a fire under the cloche. good heavens!

" ( you ... could. i don't see why not? )"

the cloud of powdered sugar finds its other victim just as swiftly,  leaving dorothea to swat the saccharine dust away with her hand.

"a charming effect," she coughs out. “...inspired by faerghus's snow, i wonder? the margrave is awfully proud of his roots.”

fogado giggles behind a hand. " hehe. faerghus pies. "

he takes one in a cloud of sugar and bites down. mm! " wow, these are pretty good! " he chirps, already going in for his second bite. “ cream cheesy---is that cherries i taste? oooh!! thea, c'mon, c'mon, take a bite. there's cherries in this!! ”

"are there usually cherries in red velvet?" a thoughtful hum. "i don't recall such a thing. but that'd certainly make this all the more memorable."

following fogado's lead, she samples a spoonful of the dessert herself.

after some thoughtful chewing, dorothea nods approvingly.

"mhm! reminds me of what they'd serve at the mittelfrank afterparties. sweet and decadent. oh! and speaking of mittelfrank, i thought sara's rendition of her song was lovely. didn't you? " 

" absolutely. with all of that sugar floating around, it was like... super dramatic! like... like a phoenix from the ashes! i was in tears, i really was. it was so moving. "

he gives a big thumbs-up. “ good job, gang! ”

CONGRATULATIONS, BAKERS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR TASK!

YOUR DISH: RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIE

WHAT THE JUDGES GOT: RED-AS-CHERRIES SMOKE BOMB VELVET WHOOPIE PIE WITH MELTED BLACKBERRY CHEESEGLOB SIDE DISH

TEAM FIVE'S FINAL SCORE: 72/114

[cupidobash]

          ♫ ♬ LISTEN UP, LOVEBIRDS!

SIGNUPS FOR SPIN THE BOTTLE ARE NOW LIVE!

The game will run from February 24th to February 27th

Unlike the previous games, this one will be an inbox game paired with "spinning" for outcomes and potential partners. Muses will have the choice to go for a kiss, or opt out and take on a non-romantic challenge instead.

Muses who choose "romantic" options and have previously specified "student" or "staff" will be paired with partners who share the same preferences. Depending on the number of signees, we will do our best to accommodate everyone.

Signups will close TONIGHT Feb. 23rd, at 6pm EST

Please have all Made With Love threads wrapped up and submitted by the end of the day!

[cupidobash]

YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE.

TEAM FIVE has submitted their pie. The judges are cleansing their palates, collecting their thoughts, and announcing the results shortly.

[cupidobash]

          ♫ ♬ LISTEN UP, LOVEBIRDS!

SIGNUPS FOR SPIN THE BOTTLE ARE NOW LIVE!

The game will run from February 24th to February 27th

Unlike the previous games, this one will be an inbox game paired with "spinning" for outcomes and potential partners. Muses will have the choice to go for a kiss, or opt out and take on a non-romantic challenge instead.

Muses who choose "romantic" options and have previously specified "student" or "staff" will be paired with partners who share the same preferences. Depending on the number of signees, we will do our best to accommodate everyone.

Signups will close TONIGHT Feb. 23rd, at 6pm EST

Please have all Made With Love threads wrapped up and submitted by the end of the day!

[cupidobash]

          ♫ ♬ LISTEN UP, LOVEBIRDS!

SIGNUPS FOR SPIN THE BOTTLE ARE NOW LIVE!

The game will run from February 24th to February 27th

Unlike the previous games, this one will be an inbox game paired with "spinning" for outcomes and potential partners. Muses will have the choice to go for a kiss, or opt out and take on a non-romantic challenge instead.

Muses who choose "romantic" options and have previously specified "student" or "staff" will be paired with partners who share the same preferences. Depending on the number of signees, we will do our best to accommodate everyone.

Signups will close TONIGHT Feb. 23rd, at 6pm EST

Please have all Made With Love threads wrapped up and submitted by the end of the day!

[cupidobash]

"oh, and look that, fogado! team three is hot on team one's heels with their dessert! you know, i'm actually excited for this one. i think it might be my favorite recipe of the batch!" 

…

“i'll be impartial with the judging, of course.”

“ the chocolate-covered strawberry swiss roll, right? boy, if there are two things that go together, it’s gotta be strawberries and chocolate. oh, if only someone out there would be the chocolate to my strawberries…! ”

he pauses, waiting for something. applause? “ what, not a winner? okay, i’ll just. move on. ”

the cloche’s removal reveals something decidedly and mirthfully un-burnt. “ oooOOOooo! loo-kee-here! thoughts, madame thea? ”

“you'd really say that while i'm standing next to you?” an exaggerated pout, drawn out for show, pulls at her lips. “aren't i your someone for the night? my goodness. breaking my heart like this in front of our bakers. for shame, fogekins.”

a laugh breaks through as dorothea peers at the dish before them. 

“sure is chocolate-y, i'll give it that. and it's rolled rather nicely, too! don't you think?" 

“ no doubt! i’d say perfectly, myself! a round of applause for that! ” fogado follows up his statement with a hearty few claps, grinning from ear to ear. “ y’know, ” and he checks the name list, ” berkut, i was really worried when i saw you pull salt out instead of sugar… it’s great to know you’ve still got it!

“ and with some whimsy to boot—don’t think i didn’t hear that pun in the making! ” a wink.

“ all-righty! let’s get tasting! ”

“ don't think we missed that save of yours, sharena!” 

everyone say “thank you women” for the salt-free dessert!

she procures a spoon with a small “ta-da!” motion and chews on the mouthful thoughtfully. “chocolate.” check. “strawberries.” check. “sugar.” check. “well, it's all there.” ( maybe a taaaaaaad overcooked? )

"tastes just like it looks to me! what do you think?"

thaaaank yooooou WOMEN!!!

fogado, after watching dorothea’s reaction, takes it as his cue to try a bit himself. he is similarly not wow-ed by Plain Ol’ Cake, but after what the last entry was, hum, it’s welcome.

“ yup. tastes like chocolate n’ strawberry cake! ” he takes another bite, posing with the same hands-on-hips motion that berkut had pulled earlier. “ pret-ty good! ”

CONGRATULATIONS, BAKERS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR TASK!

YOUR DISH: CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRY SWISS CAKE ROLL

WHAT THE JUDGES GOT: CHOCOLATE-SMOTHERED NORMAL TASTING STRAWBERRIES-SURE-ARE-THERE! WOMAN-SALVAGED SWISS CAKE

TEAM THREE'S FINAL SCORE: 66/114