⇨ THE FANTASIA FESTIVAL

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone who decides to come!
When: Day 12
Where: Wismuth's Fantasia Festival
What: CY-Ren's performance in Wismuth's biggest music festival finally arrives, and those willing to help Noa the Star Guardian show up to intervene.
Warnings: It doesn't go super well.

SONG OF THE CY-REN↴ CY-Ren's arena is the biggest stage in the festival by far, but it isn't the only one. Several big acts have assembled in the surrounding area, all with a lovely view of the ocean and with Wismuth's skyline in the background. Though she isn't explicitly the main attraction at the festival, everyone knows she's the real reason so many people have showed up. The amount of star power she has is overwhelming, and there are plenty of fans that would get violent on her behalf. ► GROUP UP: Noa will ask everyone to meet her in a park area near the festival stage, so that you can discuss plans briefly before putting them into action. The key is to try to stop the concert before CY-Ren's plans can come to fruition - whatever they may specifically be. How you go about this is up to you, but with how many people are present, it's bound to be a challenge. ► INFILTRATE: After speaking with Noa and determining what everyone will be doing, it will be time for everyone to break into the performance arena. No one has tickets for this, unless they've forged them, as they sold out a while ago. Any means of getting inside is fine, whether that be teleporting, passing through walls, or jumping in by wing. Once you've gotten into the crowd, it's up to you to get close enough to the stage to disrupt the proceedings. ► UNDER HER SPELL: It only takes her first song for things to start going wrong. The impact of the music will strike each individual differently - for most it will only feel strange, but for some it will be completely transfixing, like something that reaches deep into their soul. Those people, the ones slated to become Harbingers, will react to the the song strongly - upon hearing it, they will gradually completely lose their sense of agency, sluggishly moving towards the stage by whatever means available to them. If someone tries to stop them, they will go as far as physically, or even violently, resisting. "Blindsided by the beat Clapping your hands, stomping your feet You didn't know that you fell Now you've fallen under my spell" Obviously, if you want to participate in the Harbinger plot, you'll have to arrange it so that they manage to follow through with their hypnotized objectives. They will feel somehow empty during this time, as like they need to follow the music in order to achieve any chance at fulfillment. If you are not becoming a Harbinger, you can still have your character be affected by this to a lesser degree and then stopped by another carnival member, or as a feat of self control. ► BATTLE: By the time she switches to the next song, things will have started to get real. Any blatant, long distance attacks made early on will be mysteriously blocked by some kind of magical force field surrounding the stage, which will take some time to penetrate - at least until Noa gets involved. Body guards will storm anyone who tries to get onto the stage, and ostensibly said guards are not at all human. Instead, they appear to be horrible looking shadow amalgamation in suits, and while their attacks are mostly just physical, they can move with unnatural quickness, can't be pinned, and strike very hard. They can be NPC'd by anyone, and only have vaguely humanoid thought processes. "Me and you, you and me Why don't we see who is better? We don't have to be one and the same thing Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition? Are you afraid of failing the audition?" By the end of the second song, the hypnotized carnival members will have been snatched up by CY-Ren's void agents and disappeared. This can manifest as them being grabbed and escorted off, or possibly disappearing into shadows alongside one of the bodyguards. The guards will be trying to work stealthily, ideally sneaking away anyone being affected by the song without anyone around them noticing, but they won't let secrecy get in the way of their objectives, either. The audience will be able to realistically notice if things start exploding in their faces, but the song will distract them from anything less obvious.

Comments

⇨ DECLARING ACTIONS

[ringleaders]

If your character is doing something to try to disrupt the concert, declare what they are doing, in simple terms, right here - I will give you an idea of what will happen in response so that you can roleplay it. This is not really a time for investigation: it'll be best to give broad ideas of what they want to attempt, and I'll give you the lowdown based on that.

This event is partly pre-scripted, so try not to overcomplicate things! How badly the concert gets shut down will be dependant on player action, but obviously, the people who are going to be Harbingers do have to be captured, so assume CY-Ren will not be fully stopped until the end of the second song. 100% success is going to be impossible in order to enable the rest of the plot, so don't stress too much about getting things perfect.

[worldlyafflictions]

Shima will most likely be cooperating with others's sabotaging efforts but he may attempt to lone-wolf a portion of it once they're inside.

Since Wismuth has a generally no-magic population and no Aoex-style demons, he'll likely try to knock out some key stage-hands or back-up dancers or other essential staff with Yamantaka. Will these also not be actual people like the guards? (Is Shima gonna get kidnapped before he even gets to hear CY-ren sing??)

[everybodypanic]

Jinx will likely go it alone unless someone convinces her to follow a plan, and even that will likely get thrown out the window once things get real.

When not busy with the guards, she'll attempt to bust through the force field with both her regular rocket launcher, or her Super Mega Death Rocket with no real success. But hey, try and try again, I guess.

[hurtcomfort]

For the most part, Cole is going to cooperate with everybody else's sabotage attempts. However, if things get too violent/the situation shifts to something that puts innocent people in danger, he's going to straight up ditch that plan and work on crowd control and trying to convince people to get away from the stage/leave the concert entirely.

[fortuneglass]

Carly, prior that...LOVELY song will be using small plumes of energy fire to get most mundane guards sleepy enough that they can't really notice the Numerous Carnival Sorts that need to sneak in via mundane means. She sticks to hummingbird form to avoid being noticed-it's small, it can perch, it works out for this.

(Just, yknow, that also means later she's going to be zipping across the Air to the Stage so.... B Y E C A R L Y)

[spaghettimonster]

Papyrus is ...!

Putting up rope barriers and detour signs near some of the entrances to the stadium. Like those small winding mazes of rope barriers in front of popular roller coasters. Hopefully staff and security think he's working for them.

[tacosgay]

Taako is going to attempt to cast Tasha's Hideous Laughter on CY-Ren when she's on stage.

EDIT: He got in by forging a ticket using Fabricate!

[dressedtothe]

Ideally 9S wants to shut down power to the stage equipment (via getting into the switchboard with his hacking powers), but is likely to get too annoyed and just go for shutting down the power entirely when he realises how annoying 'old' tech is to work with compared to what he's used to.

He's getting into the concert hall via bullshit English shadow magic (courtesy of Childermass) and doesn't need to be near the switchboard to hack it, but hacking through something else would definitely delay him.

Pre-show jitters (open-ish)

[textsfromhotland]

[Alphys said she would help, so... she's here, but boy is she having second thoughts. If CY-Ren is as dangerous as that Noa girl said, then this might turn into a battle, and Alphys is no good in a fight.

She fidgets with the latch on her toolkit as she catches up to the group she's been following. Pretty soon they'd make their way to the concert to start the infiltration. She briefly considers turning around and going back- no one would notice, right?]

((OOC: A sort of mingle for anyone who volunteered to try and sabotage the show!))

[tacosgay]

[Taako already has his infiltration plan; he's brought a small piece of paper with him, and is currently sending out Arcane Eye to look over the crowd of people with legitimate tickets, putting together a good mental image of what the tickets look like. He's standing not far from Alphys, his eyes closed as he focuses on what the Arcane Eye is seeing; after a beat, he opens his physical eyes, dispelling the Arcane Eye, and then focuses instead on the paper in his fingers. It shifts, changing all at once, taking the form of one of the tickets, size and all.

Taako looks it over thoroughly, and then grins, holding his forged ticket up so the group can see.]

Hey, anybody need some help getting in? I just so happen to have some extra tickets right here~

OTA

[sworntothesword]

Connie is ready to punch some evil in the face! With her sword.

She's wearing her tron armor minus the helmet, covered with a a red trenchcoat. She's also got a matching rimmed hat for extra incognito.

Her Seraph Blade is still in her bag of holding, since she doesn't have a good way to inconspicuously carry a sword around.

Despite being ready for combat, Connie is gonna be on the lookout for any kind of fire alarm they can pull, which would trigger an evacuation.

[ That's not gonna happen before she hears that song, though... ]

[hurtcomfort]

Oh! Connie's helping too? Well, that's good, he likes Connie and all the better to help out when you've got someone you like on your side. Because Cole still doesn't really grasp the importance of creation and void and all that jazz. All he knows is that Noa wants help, ergo he is going to help.

He doesn't look as fit for battle as she does. Cole's wearing an oversized sweatshirt that he's wearing inside-out, his ridiculous hat, and a pair of jeans that are absolutely covered in stains. Two feather blades sit holstered to Cole's side. He has also never seen the tron armor on somebody so is downright impressed and interested at what Connie's wearing.

"It glows!" he can't help but murmur, suddenly appearing right behind Connie without giving any indication that he's there to begin with. He's got his head craned at an awkward angle so that he can look at the tron armor underneath the trenchcoat. "I didn't know armor could do that."

[atouts]

arrival (open to those traveling via shadow)

Childermass isn't personally planning on sabotaging anything. At best, he's there to do his job, which is "supervise" if it actually becomes necessary. Mostly, that just entails getting people back out if things go wrong. So, for him, it's just a matter of slipping through the shadows to a nice, out of the way spot backstage, behind the boxes initially meant to house whatever it is a concert requires these days.

Sound systems and costumes and lighting, he supposes, but that isn't his problem.

As long as the other carnival workers linger near him, he'll cloak them from sight.

"This is it," he lets whoever's tagged along know, voice hushed as the spell covering them isn't terribly friendly to too much noise. "Still sure you want to do this?"

under her spell (closed to Rita)

But for all his previous assurances that he would be staying put in one place, making it easier to locate him for an escape, it'll all turn out to be for nothing. He can't see the show from where he is but a song doesn't need to be seen. The music can twist its spell around him even where he is, hidden backstage, under his own spells. It's distracting at first, Childermass finding something appealing about the song though he can't figure out just what. It makes him listen more closely and, unfortunately, the harder he tries to figure it out, the more his ability to actually concentrate on remaining hidden falters. In the end, he isn't even trying to figure out what seemed so off before, overtaken by the desire to step out into the open and make his way towards the stage itself.

It causes his "look away" spell -- a kind of invisibility in its own right -- to shatter, leaving him blatantly apparent and out of place with how much he doesn't look even remotely like a part of CY-Ren's crew. Despite that, it doesn't look like anyone from that group is even moving to stop him.

[anti_nonsense]

The way the music echoes backstage, it sounds faintly distant compared to what the audience must be hearing. It's an oddly pleasant melody, though, almost like it's inviting her to come closer and hear it in its complete form...

... Rita doesn't have time for that. She blinks, then refocuses on the arrangement of switches and cables in front of her. Cut the power to this one, try to overload that one...

An unexpected movement caught out of the corner of her eye prompts her to whip her head around to see. Childermass may be protecting the saboteurs with his cloaking, but that doesn't mean a staffer couldn't still come along and... wait, that is Childermass. And the cloaking is gone.

"Hey, old man," she hisses, trying not to raise her voice enough to draw attention. "What's going on over there?"

Childermass wouldn't just leave his post for no reason, especially not when he's supposed to be their emergency exit. Rita's first assumption is that he's responding to something she can't see from over by the control board she's tampering with.

[kingsroads]

open prompt: reflection bus
Strange listens to the plans and infiltration strategies, but there's a visible frown on his face all the while. That frown continues as people make their plans on getting in side. He kneels next to a nearby puddle, fingers skimming the water's surface as he murmurs something under his breath as Strange stares in the puddle. He continues to murmur as people approach, only breaking off once he's completed the spell or seen what he feels he needs to see.

"I'm not joining in on the sabotage," Strange states, matter of factly, as he stands up from the ground, "but that doesn't mean I won't help get people inside. You're on your own for trying to find a way out."

Strange says that, and yet he'll still probably be scrying from afar, checking up on those attempting this sabotage mission from a safe distance. Still, that doesn't hide the fact that Strange is intensely skeptical about this plan as a whole. "Last chance to play it sensible, I suppose."

( ooc: Strange isn't staying for the actual fight, but he can get people inside. if you're looking for a way to get your character inside, feel free to tag in/say that he managed to get 'em in )

[whattaprick]

Lambert is one of the last people who ends up hitching a ride into the concert. Part of it is it seems more sensible to bring up the rear, the other part of it is that Lambert feels reluctant to be here at all. Regardless of what the Guardian had said on the radio, and what Foster backed it up with, he isn't entirely convinced this is the smartest idea. Still, he is the Nightrider. And while he's not carrying his sword, he'll at least be carrying his feather blade and one of the bracers Peridot made him, slipped around his tail.

"You should definitely stay away from the brainwashing siren, with your track record," he grumbles, checking his equipment one last time. "Knowing your luck, you'll just end up kissing her too. Ready to go?"

CARLY | come git her-

[fortuneglass]

[Mission Implausible

[The concert begins without a hitch-unfortunately, fortunately, really who knows. She herself had hoped that the combination of people slipping in to handle things before it started, not to mention Certain Notes, would have cut things short but...well. The crowd is roaring, and proceedings have already begun.

But Carly is nothing if not determined-shifting into her hummingbird form, she darts above the entrance to the stadium quickly, swooping down behind each guard she can find and leaving a small, dull, violet flame.... ...and 'Pulling'. Pulling on energy, letting it fuel her, and fuel the fires, until one by one the flames are extingusted as the guards themselves drop to the ground.

The bird is still a bird-white and gold, albeit tricky to spot in the dark, what with being a hummingbird the size of a small grapefruit.] Ok! It's clear, go!

[FLIGHT OF THE HUMBURB]

[It isn't long, before all of her efforts are...Forgotten. Left to the dust, the wind....Determined...

Pointless. The music sounds out, and Carly finds herself first thinking, What a beautiful, wonderful voice... ...She doesn't shift back into her human state, however-she merely flies, first through the entrance of the stadium, and then up above the crowds, just high enough to see. And then there she is. CY-Ren-the songstress, the beautiful, wonderful...

She hovers, and practically sways-her flight slower than one would expect of a hummingbird, yet quick enough that she flits and darts bit by bit forward, a dreamy chirp escaping occasionally. Maybe she'll let her sit with her? Just on her shoulder, just for...a little bit....

...Those who recognize the hummingbird may wish to...Catch it.]

HUMBURB

[sunflowerfields]

[Hinawa is no fighter, or infiltrator, but she's here all the same to keep an eye on everyone at least. She has a first aid kid in an over the shoulder bag and a very worried expression on her face as the concert goes off without a hitch.

The music doesn't seem to affect her- it's not even that good- but as she scans the crowds for familiar faces, she spots the hummingbird. That's someone from the carnival, right? What was her name...]

Carly!

OTA

[everybodypanic]

[Grouping Up]

Jinx was there and still dressed in casual attire, joined by Shiro and Kuro. She frankly didn't plan on staying very long. Who needed to plan for anything when she could just fly in and blow stuff up? Heck, the only reason she was sticking around to begin with was because Noa was a Star Guardian too and had nicely asked for some help. Though she figured she could join in if someone came up with a plan that was actually worthwhile. What Jinx considered to be "worthwhile" was strictly tied to how likely she'd be able to shoot things.

Anyways, she just kept pacing around until finally asking to herself, or anyone who could hear her.

"Is it time to leave yet? I wanna get to the good part, already!"


[Battle]

It wasn't until things started to go wrong that Jinx got her chance. In uniform and ready for action, this was always her favorite part of being a Star Guardian, as she began to grin and laugh rather maniacally. She... really was supposed to be a Star Guardian, right? A hero for peace and justice?

"Alright Shiro, Kuro. Which one of you wants it more?" Kuro let out some aggressive noises and squeaks whereas Shiro just stared blankly. "Just kidding! Everybody gets to come out and play today!" Her heart was racing and the adrenaline had fully set in at this point.

Shiro started off first and changed into mini-gun form.

"Step right up! Got enough bullets for all you clowns!"

Group Up

[hippocarnival]

Yuya's usually somewhere in between 'we need a plan' and 'let's wing it'. But he's not in charge in this affair, and other people definitely had better ideas how to disrupt the concert than he did. At least if this all goes horribly the Ringmaster won't really let them be arrested, right?

He can't believe he's really sabotaging a concert, but fate of the world or something..

Jinx's pacing is a little distracting, but while she moves about Yuya's a little more curious about her familiars. He sticks a finger out, just short of poking one while he absently answers her. "We can't really wait for too long. Everyone just wants to be ready."

GONGENZAKA

[betheman]

[SPIDER-GON, SPIDER-GON...]

[Gongenzaka, one would think, is not the most stealthy of beings. Even in glamor, he's a relatively noticable person...or at least, he would be if not for the fact that he'd prepared. Jeans are already rather unassuming-but Gongenzaka has even taken his precious sash and headband off, leaving him with nothing but a black t-shirt to go with the rest of his appearance. Muscled as he is, it isn't his age which he needs to sell.

It's the appearance of Just Another Guy, something he does quite well as a Japanese man of 5'8''. He doesn't head straight for the entrance, however. Rather, with the ears and senses that his glamor otherwise hides from prying mundane eyes, he seeks out the best place he can which lacks surveilance at the time.

He gets there, and he begins to climb...Or at least, that's how it looks. Those who see through the glamor, well. They're in for a treat. Because Gongenzaka isn't climbing. He's walking.

Walking, directly up the wall, with his upper half ducked low and near to the wall itself as he keeps his eyes forward enough to slip on in...

-THMP-

...Just ignore the possible 'thud' of his hooves and paws as they make the ground beneath the stands. He'll be making his way forward, out from the 'underneath' and in through the crowd, at this point. Feel free to question his glamor not....parting the sea, so to speak.]

[PUNCH A SHADOW, JUST DO IT]

[Well, he would have said something about stealth going out the window when people started rushing in from the sky, or barrelling through crowds, or similar-but the fact was, CY-Ren had made it clear that she was running the show, when her opening number started pulling people toward her. He himself took too long-UNFORGIVABLY too long, in his opinion, to notice. But then song number two begins, just in time for him to get in stage range.] ...Forgive me for this, [He begins, cracking his knuckles and charging the first guard.] But I, the man Gongenzaka, must get thr-!

[..........The punch connects, but the guard is merely stunned. He'd held back, certainly, but not that much he thinks, blinking widely. And yet then...Shadows melt off them, and suddenly it's retaliating, the man hurriedly blocking the blow with grit teeth.] HMM!! So that is how it must be, then!? In that case...

[This time, he punches as hard as he can. And that one definitely sends it backward a bit.] COME FORWARD..!

Shadow Punching

[hippocarnival]

[The song is enticing. Perhaps Yuya only realizes because he let Lambert use Axii on him once, and because he's having a hard time making it out among everything else. He end sup stopping somewhere in the middle of the crowd, holding his head and squeezing his eyes shut for a moment as he tries to hold out against the influence.

When he does look back up, Gongenzaka is much closer to the stage. Panic overtakes him briefly, and he starts to forcibly shove through the crowd to get across.] Gongenzaka!

[It's too slow getting through people, but he does, just in time for Gongenzaka to bash the shadowy guard a second time. He does manage to push it back, deterring it for a moment. But such amalgamations aren't easily defeated, and when it surges forward again--

Yuya's shield expands rapidly, slamming into the guard and throwing it backwards.]

Tyki Mikk

[prazerbutterfly]

[Closed Prompts Only Within - Contact me for plotting via plurk/discord/PM]

For Foster, Ginko, & Zangetsu

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki hadn't really helped anyone inside of the concert area due to his own personal issues. He had taken a spot near the high ends of the seats but with enough distance and height to watch everything that was happening. From here he could spot a few people given their coloration and location but there were some he was not aware of and with the sheer amount of souls present, there was no way he could spot everyone.

The music starts, concert going well, until he finds himself swaying with the song and his body leaning forward. It's the sudden mental intrusion and the prompt from something deeper within that causes him to blink, his head shaking lightly and his hand covering his face. Around him, through his fingers, he can see others already entranced and without considering anything else he's up on his feet, leaping over the edge into the crowd below that is standing. He's instantly looking for those around him and anyone he recognizes. His eyes are also up towards the sky for anyone he knows as well.

"Cover your damned ears!" he yells over the roar of the sound and music. People are already panicking and he doesn't care for the rest of the crowd. He's only concerned for carnival workers.

Yugo | OTA

[bananaspeedrider]

A - Obedience Schooled

[Of course Yugo thought of a foolproof way to get into the concert. He’s prepared with everything he needs to do some backstage sabotage, the only obstacle for him is climbing that wall.

Problem with that, he doesn’t exercise with nearly enough pull-ups to lift his own weight plus heavy crystals, let alone for climbing a wall. After a few tries, Yugo takes one look at his duel disk during his frustration and-

Ohoho… that’s what having a dragon is for though isn’t it?]


[OOC: Everyone is free to either help this idiot before he grabs flashy attention to himself or take advantage of a free boost up the wall by a Solid Vision dragon.]

---
B - Mind Wipe

[When the first few notes hit, at first Yugo can’t help but pause, intending to merely sate his curiosity about the tune and then get right back to the basic plan at hand. But as it goes on even as he tries (and fails) to drone the rest of it out, he freezes entirely...

… And with or without the glamor his eyes almost seem to dull as his face falls. It’s. A good song. Why would he not want to get closer. He’s never realized how… empty he feels? Like there’s something missing…

Feel free to try (and fail) to stop him.]

B

[hippocarnival]

[The situation has started to get rapidly out of control, which means it's time for Yuya to try and round up his friends (namely, his friends from home) in hopes that bonding together will prevent anything from happening to any of them. He is not about to lose someone else tonight.

He's barely even looking at Yugo as he grabs for his arm--he's trying to seek out Gongenzaka and Yuzu, and anyone else familiar.] There you are. Something weird is happening, did you notice? We need to be careful.

Tanyuu Karibusa | OTA

[fourthscribe]

Intrigue

[While not officially part of the disruption, Tanyuu still finds her way into the concert. Even if her skills are utterly useless for properly combating whatever magic this concert is set to unleash, at the very least she can help those that can try. Lingering to the sides of the crowd but closer to the stage, she keeps a careful eye out for other carnival members, ready to distract staff where she sees them struggling.]

Spellbound

[As soon as the concert properly begins, however, it all changes. At first she's only taken by the quality of the song--it's beautiful, in a taunting sort of way. Something that challenges a core part of her being. More and more of her attention becomes tied up within the performance, until she starts to move through the crowd as if in a daze. That too-real feeling seems both more intense and infinitely far away, and while Keiko's snake form curled around her shoulders is similarly transfixed Haruki squawks and screeches in an attempt to get Tanyuu's attention--or really, anyone's.]

spellbound

[exaomori]

[Though Shura hasn't managed to memorize many of the faces of her fellow carnival members, it isn't hard to guess who in the crowd doesn't belong under their glamour. And though she's not familiar with this one personally, there's something suspicious about the way she's moving. This wasn't someone trying to blend in with the crowd to see if they could get closer. That and that bug thing shrieking pretty well gave away that something was wrong.]

Oi, you--snap out of it.

[Shura is careful as she approaches her, reaching a hand out to touch her arm, grab it if she needs to. She couldn't help everyone in the crowd, so she'd prioritize the carnival members.]

PAPYRUS | OTA

[spaghettimonster]

SKETCHING PLANS

Frankly, between that radio chatter and the travel over here, not a whole lot of collaborative planning happened. At least not that Papyrus was around for. But if all else fails, he can lean on the skills he used as a sentry back in the day; building entertaining obstacles to slow people down.

At the least, he can offer helping give people a lift into the stadium.


DRAWN IN

The concert's about to start, and so far everyone's efforts... haven't panned out.

Plenty of concert goers are in the enormous stadium, cheering in anticipation of the show's beginning. At this point, it seems like the only thing that could stop the concert is pulling CY-Ren herself away from the stadium... or if the equipment went down.

Wasn't somebody saying something like that, before? That they could mess with the stage lights, the speakers, that sort of thing? It's not exactly his know-how, but he's out of ideas, and they could probably use his help!

So Papyrus begins toward the stage even before the first song begins, weaving around enthusiastic fans in hopes of finding familiar faces. As the music starts, he loses focus on the why. He stops checking the crowd, pushes forward with unthinking purpose, and shakes off anyone who might try to stop him.

DRAWN IN

[osteothropy]

Sans didn't come in with much of a plan. He didn't see himself as much of an active party in this dispute - just someone to keep an eye on the parties involved and try to make sure they all got out okay. Of course, his main focus in that has been his brother, and despite his marked abilities to get around, it's been a bit difficult to spread his attention between multiple parties.

It's hard to tell that anything is wrong, from a distance. Seeing Papyrus move through the crowd towards the stage is probably part of the plan, right? Or, at least, that's how Helvetica interprets it.

She comes back down from the air above the crowd, landing on Sans's head and relating Papyrus's location to him. Pretty much everyone here is taller than Sans, which is making life a bit difficult.

"He seems to be closing in on the stage - did he discuss this tactic? I don't think he did," she explains. Sans is already feeling a bit tense and that doesn't help.

"Dunno..." he says, and then gestures for her to take off again. "Show me which way to go, kay? Can't see squat from down here."

Thankfully, Papyrus isn't already outside of her range. She gets close before Sans can.

"Papyrus?" she calls down to him, visible as a shimmer of blue and a fair of small glowing angel wings in the air above. "What are your intentions?"

Rita Mordio | OTA, will match formats

[anti_nonsense]

[backstage: sabotage, may be before or after the singing starts]

Somewhere beneath the stage, Rita is hunched over a control board, flipping switches and swapping cables, when she realizes someone is behind her. She stiffens, tenses... then suddenly whirls around, raising a hand and conjuring a fireball in it...

...but the intensity fades from her expression when she sees who's there, or at least recognizes that it's an ally, not a guard or staff member. The flame doesn't leave her hand, and instead is quickly extinguished, leaving only smoke in its place.

"Sorry," she says, not sounding very sorry. "Thought you were an enemy."

[wildcard!]

Feel free to encounter Rita during the operation! She'll mainly be found backstage, tampering with equipment, avoiding staff, or (after the hypno-song leaves her without cover) fending off any guards that discover her or others.

backstage, pretty early on before the concert

[kingsroads]

The problem with using puddles as your method of transportation is that occasionally, someone cleans up a puddle. Some member of the janitorial staff was on top of their game and mopped up the puddle that Strange had used to go back and ditch the concert hall. So, he decided to go back to one of the few mirrors he knew were backstage and knew couldn't be removed from the wall. He wanted to get the heck out of here before the singing started, after all.

It's at this time, as Strange is moving towards the dressing room location he knows, that Strange almost gets a fireball to the face. He puts up his own hands, starting to mutter a counterspell, but stops once Rita extinguishes her flame. She doesn't sound sorry, Strange doesn't sound happy. He can't help but frown slightly at Rita's excuse.

"And what, you'd charbroil them? That would certainly stop the concert."

[scientificist]

At the Concert
Herbert has a certain idea of what concerts are like, not that he's ever been to one. He's not particularly into music in general, but especially not loud enough to cause hearing damage, which is why he's put earplugs in. He's young enough to be an attendee but it means he looks kind of like he mistakenly thought it was going to be a New Wave concert, as he's too young to pull off Someone's Dad Who Insisted On Being The Chaperone.

Currently, he's standing off to the side, at the edge of the crowd, looking back and forth between the stage and the sea of people. He's appropriated a cooler from a tent to stand on, as he's too short for keeping watch to be really effective otherwise. He has a small black bag held clutched against his stomach, trying to avoid potential thieves. After all, he won't be much use as a medic without any supplies.

Just in case, he has one extra bottle in his inner jacket pocket. He doesn't expect things to go as wrong as the girl on the radios seemed to but it's better to be prepared.

Under Her Spell
The earplugs do nothing. Or rather, they do what they're supposed to, which is slightly muffle the music, but they were never going to absolutely block sound. Especially not when it's magical.

Herbert hears the bass and the rhythm and the muffled tones of singing and it's oddly compelling, like no other music has been. Like nothing other than scientific discovery has been before. He steps slowly off of the cooler, looping the handles of his bag over his arm. It should be alright just this once. Reaching up, he pulls the earplugs out of one ear, then the other.

His head is full, he can't hear anything else, think anything else, a hole opening up and pressing against the sides of his skull. He has to get closer -- what was he thinking, standing at the side like this. Letting his bag slide down into his hand he holds it up in front of himself and begins to shove his way through the crowd, too entranced to take anything but the most direct path.

Under Her Spell!

[motivenotfound]

Herbert's not the only one feeling the music in his soul. Mari is transfixed in a way she hasn't been in years, in decades--

In ever, maybe. A churning hollow in her heart, the pull towards something much greater than that hole, the emptiness of... of being only human, that's all, it's being only human, and this... this is the pull, the desire in all human hearts to escape that pain.

Yui, Gendo, and--yes--SEELE itself. This is that feeling.

Suddenly, she understands.

She understands everything, her own heart, her own... her own vision of Instrumentality.

Grabbing the arm of a nearby burly teen (a boy with green hair, she doesn't really care to notice anything more), she pops up above the crowd, each foot on the shoulder of a different stranger, and begins striding confidently over them towards the stage.

Miko | OTA, before crud goes down

[pullingamiko]

Fortunately, Miko is basically an expert at getting into places she isn’t supposed to be. Unfortunately, she… doesn’t really have much she can do to disrupt things.

But you know what? That’s fine. There are other people who can do stuff, she knows, so for the moment it’s enough to be here and watch the inevitable chaos unfold - and, hopefully, to document it.

“Say cheese!”

Anyone who turns toward the sound will be met with the click and flash of a digital camera. Miko lowers it with a grin, cycling through the pictures she’s taken so far. “Aaand that’s one more to hold onto… maybe. I’m gonna need to go through these later, some kinda suck.”

[criticallyfucked]

Foster actually flinches from the flash, more as though Miko had swung a burning brand at his face than if she'd taken his picture--then again, he happily would have stayed still for something like that, so the comparison is a little bit backwards.

He looks... strained, in the aftermath.

"....why?"

⇨ DURING THE FIRST SONG (2 character limit)

[npcarnival]

In an arena filled with thousands, her figure doesn't stand out. She remains high in the stands, making no move to get closer to the stage - she simply watches from afar. She doesn't even look totally like herself, even though her magic will bleed through for anyone with the eyes for it. Instead of diminutive and winged, she is of average height, and is wearing a short leather jacket and jeans instead of phantasmal fae attire.

However, certain features will stick out to those that remember her: purple hair and pointed ears most prominently, and an aura that presents itself far more strongly than any normal human could. She makes no move to intervene, her expression grim and focused on a the stage.

As the mesmerizing effects of the song begin to take effect, she frowns and presses a kiss to a palm full of purple flower petals. With a flourish she sends them airborn, drifting up and out of sight.

I sure hope I'm doin' this proper MMMM

[betheman]

Gongenzaka is already typically sensitive to matters of Unique Energy Nonsense, provided he has a particular spell in on focus. And on a night such as this, where everyone's scattered in a crowd, and some of those 'everyones' are his friends? He is focused. Which is exactly why he catches something odd in the air-something he doesn't recognize.

Something decidedly....out of place. So he moves to follow after that something, wether he's stuck climbing to get there or not. Following until it's close enough that he can perhaps see the source, maybe even smell it, or at least hear-

"Snff...Snfff..." .... "...Hmmmm..." Ah.

Well he might or might not have actually picked up on a distinct smell, but the aura sure pokes out in a sea of Human. "....This.... ....this is not from the carnival, I do not think..." he mutters, perhaps a bit too loudly even while sounds are being muddied by cheering fans. It takes a little more squinting around before he looks right up however. At which point he can see who it is. No, he definitely doesn't recognize them.... ...so quietly, he sneaks as closely as he can, before stretching one of his wisteria vines ever closer. Just to tap.

At which point. "....And who, may I ask, are you?"

what no Gon don't ASK to ASK-

closed to lambert.

[dirthena]

She is there to help. The thought is the first thing to fly out of her mind when the music starts; her steps waver and the question why floats through her head. Because that is who she is, isn't it? Inquisitor Lavellan, and she helps those in need, who need someone to stand up for them. No, says a voice, and this time it might be her own -- she gave up that title, she is, she is...

Lavellan takes a step towards the stage, eyes trained on the woman singing. Whatever she needs, she'll find it there. And which every step her mind empties. Her chest feels similarly vacant -- she knows what she needs to do, where she needs to go. It's only when something touches her arm to guide her away that something comes over her -- and she attempts to yank her arm back, taking a step backwards as her attention refocuses on the... thing in front of her. "Let go," she says, breaking the emptiness in her chest for a moment to put the full force weight of her leadership experience behind it.

[whattaprick]

It's hard, spotting faces in a crowd, harder still to pick up voices with the sound of the song nearly drowning all else out. But unlike the rest of the concert's audience, who seem to have nothing but CY-Ren's song on their minds, Lambert's actively scanning the crowd, shoving people aside as he tries to get closer to the stage.

And in the middle of it all -- there. A movement that draws his attention, because it isn't someone shouting their adoration, or dancing to the rhythm. He can't tell who it is at first, struggling to get to them, and then a strobe of light catches the figure accosted by a larger one, the glamour shifting with it, that he realizes who it is.

"Lavellan!" he yells, but CY-Ren's song swallows up the sound of his voice. He's too far away to make a difference.

Rip | OTA ?

[singinghuntress]

Before the Concert...

It was a concert and Rip was less than enthused for the most part, but, she did come to see what was going on and if she could do anything...well. Rip was more interesting in seeing how the performance played out. She may be a soldier but, she lacked proper weapons if there was a fight.

So, for her own safety, she hung back and kept to the way back of the stadium in a spot where she was both hidden and could see over everyone. The huntress really only wanted to observe...

Spellbound-ish

Once the concert stared, Rip felt something was off. She felt uncomfortable hearing the music and it made her fidget and antsy in her hiding spot in the stadium. She didn't want to be here.. instinct was screaming at her to leave and she was very close to listening.