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Star Pox (10) : Genetically modified fruits aren’t exactly new but every now and then something seems to be going on with them. This year, it’s star fruit. The entire batch from Destiny City’s largest supplier has a strange side effect; a few minutes after eating one, star-shaped ‘freckles’ will begin to cover the skin. While this has been colloquially dubbed’ star pox’, it appears to be a harmless allergic reaction. The freckles fade after a few hours and pose no actual health risks; they’ve become quite popular across social media. This might be your only chance to experience the strange trend! …Unless sales are good enough to bring them back.
This was Shelly’s first Star Festival since moving to Destiny City a few years back. Her dad had always had business trips around this time in the past and he’d always bundled the family off with him since he wanted Shelly to see and experience different places. But this year… this year she’d made the case to stay home while her parents left. The animals were a big reason she didn’t feel she could go. She was getting ready to go into her first year of college. Sure, it was just DCU, but there were too many balls in the air for her to feel comfortable leaving.
Thus, Star Festival! And Shelly ******** loved every moment. She’d already been given a cute little amber star charm by one street vendor. And she had a whole baggie full of the star fruits that she’d been seeing advertised. She’d probably take some into the Shelter later as a treat for the volunteers, but for now, she just wanted to chomp on some tasty stars. She’d made sure to wash and prep them carefully. Then, standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she began to eat one. Within moments, she saw her skin begin to spot and color. The spots quickly became distinctly star shaped and Shelly screed in sheer glee. The new freckles were very much regular freckle colors, but the shape was distinct.
She was delighted.
Rushing to grab her phone, she also grabbed her house key and darted out the door. She wanted pictures in natural light. And then, she was going to post those pictures for all to see.
Once she found a pretty enough spot with plenty of sunshine and flowers growing nearby, Shelly stopped and began striking various poses. She wasn’t at all a chronically online type, but for this? She’d make so many exceptions! Once she’d exhausted all her ideas for that location, she flipped through the images and laughed happily. One of her new freckles was just a smidge darker than the others and directly under her left eye. And it looked amazing in the pics. Okay, note to self, good side today is the left.
Next up, she wanted a shadier spot. There was a cute little grotto near the park with plenty of shade and sun dappled ferns. She’d go there next.
Over the course of the next few hours, Shelly ran all over the city snapping pictures. She even ran home at one point to grab Poseida because she was sure as hell getting some fancy pictures with her dog! By the time the freckles were fading too much to tell what they were, she’d amassed hundreds of selfies on her phone. Some were discarded as too blurry or hard to see. Others she kept and cheerfully uploaded to her little Instagram. But her favorites were of her and Poseida, both dappled in sun and shadow with the star freckles turning Shelly into a natural born e-girl. Later, she’d add some cute filters to give her dog some stars of her own.
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