⇨ INVASION!

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone! But especially HARBINGERS!
When: S2:D16-22
Where: All over Wismuth!
What: As the Harbingers reveal themselves, those among the carnival that Creation has chosen will start to discover new powers within themselves. It's because they're magical girls, yo.
Warnings: Harbingers being assholes.

HARBINGERS OF VOID↴ On Day 16, the Harbingers begin revealing their new selves... in the form of wreaking havoc on the city! CY-Ren isn't looking for mass panic or serious structural damage - instead she wants constant annoyances and distractions, of the sort that will keep those that might be on her tail distracted from her true plans. However, when Creation is faced with the threat of twelve new Harbingers, it will have to fight in kind... ► HARBINGERS: Your job is to use your powers to create messes for other people to clean up! CY-Ren gives no specific instructions outside of a general framework... flex your powers! See what you can do. Don't destroy the city or anything, but give Creation a run for its money. She needs these civilians alive for her later plans. ► STAR GUARDIANS: Twelve members of the carnival have been chosen by Creation to fight in its name, even if they don't realize it yet. When confronted by the Harbinger's chaos, their Sparks will make themselves known in whatever form is appropriate to the character - and they will be asked if they are willing to use the power of their soul to fight the darkness. How this scene plays out can be flexible, but essentially they will find themselves faced with the question: are they willing to fight for the preservation of life? If they say yes, their Spark will emerge, and they will be able to trigger a magical girl transformation, as you do. ► CHARITY CONCERT: While everyone else is busy with the sudden rise of the Harbingers, CY-Ren's PR team is releasing a statement -- they will say that new information has revealed that there had been bomb threats made against the canceled concert, which are now being blamed for the damages. CY-Ren will make a personal statement, saying that in order to apologize for the failure of her previous performances, a new free to attend event is being planned for the near future - people who had tickets to the previous event and had to go home early get top priority!

Comments

ota + whatever closed prompts i add

[atouts]

i. money rains from above

[ Kicking off the morning of Day 16, the news will be rife with reports of ATMs going wild. Not just at one bank, not just one particular location, but "all over" -- or so they'll claim, but in truth, it's happening in overwhelmingly busy parts of downtown, wherever one of those blasted machines are placed in high traffic spots.

As if the city's authorities didn't have enough to do already, what with bomb threats...

In any case, it's only a matter of time until someone from the carnival encounters one. Be it them wandering by at random, being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, or actively staking one out, soon enough they'll spot a familiar figure stopping at the ATM and swiping a card (too big to be an actual debit or credit card, assuming one knows what those even are) at it, then turning to carry on down the street.

About ten steps past, the ATM explodes... with cash, not explosions, thank goodness. It starts blowing cash into the air and to the ground and all around it with no end in sight. Unsurprisingly, all those other people around? The ones who'd been minding their own business before? Where there had been some kind of order before, there's now a rush to grab and pocket as much cash as possible, along with all the yelling and pushing that might entail. ]

ii. here comes trouble

[ In less reported news (which is to say not reported at all), however, there's also a sudden abundance of crows in Wismuth. Chances are it's impossible to tell that since crows aren't entirely uncommon in cities, but in this case, some of the crows seem very... intangible. A sharp eye might spot one flying straight into a shadowed wall of a building and just vanishing right there and then instead of hitting it.

Not that anyone will need a sharp eye to realize one is tailing them at some point in time, while they're out in Wismuth. The crows have their marching orders, after all: keep an eye on the carnival workers, as many as they possibly can. They don't even try to hide it, brazenly flapping their wings and clicking their beaks -- silently, never making a sound -- when looked at directly. ]

closed to strange

[atouts]

[ And for a very specific carnival worker, the crows searching the city are more discreet, unwilling to be caught out before the one that finds Strange can return to its master. He can't honestly say he has anything important to impart to the other magician -- why this is happening, why nothing matters anymore, why anything, anything at all -- but it's an old habit. Keeping an eye on one magician or another, it's been a way of life for so long now.

Although this time it isn't for Strange's own good. If it had been, Childermass would simply stay away, but now... In any case, the dour magician doesn't make an appearance in public this time around. What Strange will find in today's foray into Wismuth is quite the opposite of his missing friend.

Out on the boardwalk along the city's seaside beach stands a stunningly familiar figure. She pays no mind to the people passing by around her, although she herself gets a few confused looks from them, with how she's dressed like she's just stepped out of the 1800s direct but with the addition of a fairly simple parasol to keep off the sun. Whether Arabella Strange ever owned a parasol or not is a question that's up in the air but it fits into a sunny beach scene regardless.

Just standing there, gazing out across the water, almost like she's waiting for something. ]

FRUIT AND VEG ATTACK | DAY 16 | OTA

[starseedling]

It all starts in the deceptively peaceful setting of a local farmer's market, located on the edge of the central city park. Citizens are minding their own business, browsing the wares, while others play Frisbee on the nearby grass. A couple of buskers play some jaunty fiddle in the background. It's a lovely afternoon.

That is, until random vegetables and fruits, both in the stands and in people's baskets, begin a baffling transformation - shifting in shape and given new life, they turn into an assortment of angry beasts! The panicked reaction is immediate, as animate crab apples snip at people's hands, and growling cabbadgers menace their ankles.

...Really, all of these animals are weirdly cute, but that doesn't mean they can't give you a painful bite. They may be adorable, but they mean business! Just like a certain someone, who has yet to reveal himself.

This will also happen at a couple large supermarkets later in the day, so you can choose the location you engage with the hordes at.

this is what happens when you don't eat your vegetables

[whattaprick]

The past few days have been an exercise in frustration for Lambert. He's back on his feet, and between magic and potions his injuries are finally as clear as they'll ever be, but finding out what's happened to the people taken from the Carnival?

He's got jack shit on that. CY-Ren's penthouse is an obvious target that's practically roiling with magic, but even he can admit turning into a dragon and ripping it off the roof, while appealing in theory, probably isn't a good idea. Still, staying in the Carnival is just asking to pace a hole into the ground, so he's at least working out his frustration in the city, hoping to catch a hint of Nightshade or a tug of magic that might point him in the right direction. A park seems as good a site to begin as any -- in Portland, they'd always been the fae's entry of choice.

As he approaches, a woman's scream and a man's shout of alarm, making him turn his head. But what gets him running is the sudden thrum of his medallion as it pick up on magic in the air, and Lambert turns and starts running in the direction of the sound, tail lashing under his glamor.

And what he finds when he turns the corner is ... chaos. Spilled fruit and vegetables everywhere, people picking up their pets and running away as baskets of produce upturned everywhere just spill all over the ground. All Lambert can do is stare. What exactly is he looking at here...?

A tiny, menacing apple-crab skitters up to the witcher standing still, brandishing its tiny little claws and attempting to pinch its pincers into his foot. Lambert doesn't even blink as he kicks it hard enough to send it sailing over the stalls.

Breaking Bonds | Day 16 | OTA

[bananaspeedrider]

A - Draconnection [Closed to Yuya, pre-Star Guardians]

[How frustrating and heartbreaking it must seem whenever some external force gets in the way of the natural bond between the dragons, silencing one’s cries from the other.

But if there are any worried calls from Yuya’s dragon to Yugo’s, the pendulum dragon blatantly receives no answer or outright irritation. Unnerving, though at least it signals the synchro dragon’s signature could be tracked again-

One thing Yuya might notice while following the pull is scattered city dwellers here and there fuming toward or snapping moodily at each other.

And once Yugo is eventually in sight, he’s casually leaning against a wall; the teen’s looking impassively at what surely can’t be anything other than Clear Wing’s card (only the back of it can be seen from here) flickering with light at its kin’s presence and fidgeting with sort of folded up toll (A pocket knife? A multi-tool?) in his other hand.

They know exactly how Yuya found them though.]

---
B - Allure of Darkness [Open]

[No collateral damage to the city huh? That’s not a problem for him, Yugo thinks while watching as fury turns into hate between even so-called friends or couples. It’s… satisfying to break apart these weak leaks, to show people how useless they really are. And the actual power....

With one clawed gauntlet, the teen scratches the dark hide of his "familiar", right under Clear Wing’s jaw; the dragon rumbles pleasantly. Of course he can keep his partner’s eagerness for destruction in check.

He brandishes the small "feather blade" again. Time for some more distractions. Those Star Guardians can come and get him if they’re looking for a fight.]

---
C - Wildcard

[Got something else in mind? Come at me!]

[hippocarnival]

[The cards aren't as effective of a tracking method as Yuya had hoped, in practice. They don't start to resonate until they're close, and until then it's just the anxiety Yuya picks up from Odd Eyes in regards to the missing Clear Wing. He's not sure if the spirits have a concept of family, but that's probably closest to the bond of their dragons it can be.

He's a little lost in thought as he walks, staring at the card... but when he's feet away, something in its impression shifts. It's more urgent, and Yuya picks up the pace like they might be close--

He rounds the corner and if he hadn't stopped he would have crashed into Yugo. But hey does skid to halt, blinking rapidly as if making sure his vision isn't betraying him.] Yugo?

OTA

[everybodypanic]

[Jinx is hanging out at one of the taller buildings of Wismuth, sitting on the rooftop and looking upwards at the sky. The mess of a concert from before is still fresh in her mind.

It's ticking her off that things went so badly.

Honestly? She doesn't care too much about the missing people. She's only helping because it's her "duty" or whatever.

What bugs her the most is that CY-Ren has gotten away with it all. Jinx just really wants another shot at her so she can introduce CY-Ren to her guns.

All of them.]

Alright you two. Nap time's over!

Time to go find ourselves some excitement.

[She stands up and stretches, with Shiro and Kuro both waking up and following as Jinx flies away from the rooftop.

The trio end up flying all throughout the city, eyes and ears open for anything that catches their attention.

It's some time after that Jinx spots a commotion coming from down below. She makes a beeline and lands shortly after.]

Where's the party at? Can't have a party without some stars!

[dressedtothe]

[The problem with there being so many people in Wismuth is that it's hard for him to really be fully aware of someone making a sudden approach out of nowhere. But he does look up and on reflex, jumps back.

Except... he's wearing heels, so he ends up wobbling his landing and stumbling.]

Hey! What's the big idea?

[Oh, he knows who this person is, even if she might not recognise him. But chicken feathers are threaded through his hair, the same colour as the chicken that had been sitting outside the Carnival's cookhouse.]

[mirrortide]

[i]

It's a lovely day out, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and... The guy who owns the local hotdog stand by the park is screaming and running? And it doesn't take much longer for other people to start running away from that direction either.

Getting closer, it soon becomes clear that anyone who gets too close to the stand is getting sprayed with water from a nearby fire hydrant. As in, the stream of water seemingly come to life to hit people away from the hotdog stand.

Should you get close enough, it becomes clear that there seems to be some sort of... creature the size of a larger cat causing said mayhem.

It's also scarfing down what seems to be at least three times its own body weight in hotdog and hotdog accessories.

It's also far from the first hotdog stand that she'll be hitting.

[ii]

Maybe you thought it'd be a good idea to stock up on some fancy new tech from Wismuth. They're certainly more advanced than some of the places that the Carnival has hit up. Unfortunately, as we all know from pokemon, water and electricity don't mix. Which makes this particular store great for Lapis to menace.

It doesn't take long before wet computers and wet TV's start sparking and smoking, and Lapis to, well, swing from the ceiling fan cackling the entire time as an inch deep puddle of water starts to seep across the floor.

Also, people are, yet again, screaming and evacuating. Mostly because all that smoke can't be good for the lungs.

[wildcard]

Lapis has zero issues with lunging out at people who are just minding their own business. She has zero issues with suddenly rupturing fire hydrants to spray people (which seems to be a favourite), or even running out into the middle of the street to cause car accidents. Or maybe she'll just do a flyby and pull hair.

i

[drrdrrdrr]

"Hey!"

A nearby manhole cover has just popped up, and Amethyst's furry little head appears underneath it. "Save some of that for me, huh?"

Carly Nagisa | OTA w. Harbringer Prompt

[fortuneglass]

[PENTHOUSE (Closed to Harbringers]

HMMMMmmmmnnn-hmm! [Carly, for her part, is enjoying the Penthouse.

A Lot. She has presently gathered for herself a map of the city, a sheet of plexiglass (Presumably stolen from...somewhere), and a dry-erase marker. They're all now sitting on a coffee table, for at least as long as she's able to use said coffee table.

The woman will be grabbing whoever makes the mistake of looking a bit TOO lost about just how to go about wreaking havoc, and for good reason-] Okay! We've all been let loose, right?

We need to make sure to do this right-it's really important, after all..! [Carly will insist to anyone listening, flicking the cap on and off her marker.] We know it's not going to look 'good' to anyone who watches us at work either...but eventually, we'll have to be there for everyone to see, since everything is going to end eventually..! Which means....

[She beams.] We need to make sure to have as much fun with it as we can~! If we're going to be the 'bad guys', we have to do it well!

Are you with me?

[She'll even teach you how to 'laugh'. It's great. Come on.]

[DRAGGIN' ME DOWN | OPEN]

[There are...a lot of strings, at the corner of First and North.] HawWWWWWWUUUUU! Sh-Shoot..!

[There is also a very CREEPY looking lady, the markings on her cheeks seeming to cut through to nothing but dark void as black as the clothing covering most of her form. Her wings are as strings-much like the strings...everywhere, and despite all of that?

She really doesn't seem to be acting her..look. Hands on her hips, Carly pouts, looking from corner to corner at the tangled and messy web.] Hmmnnnnnhh...the strings are supposed to be how everything comes together, but it doesn't feel like I'm doing this right at all....

[Shoot! What a shame! What a-

Ah.

And she's spotted you, amid the people who are either complaining about getting their cars stuck in a weird tire-ensnaring mess or simply tripping over themselves.] AHH~! You~!

[And Carly Grins.] ....Maybe you want to help me 'practice'..~?

[IF NOTHING ELSE- FIRE | OPEN]

[Eventually, strings are Not Cutting It. Eventually, Carly is going to huff, and pout, and finally scoot off in the form of a hummingbird to god knows where.

God Knows Where turns out to be....the local cornerstore.

Which convieniently is now surrounded by violet flames. She's actually inside, all dressed up, and casually picking through one of the fridges.] Hmmnnhhh...coffee isn't good, but maybe a juice, a juice...

[So far, what with it looking very much like FIRE, no one has tried to actually. Leave. So they're mostly just huddled behind the counter while they stare. But the fire isn't too bad! It's not even hot.

It just, you know...drains you a little if you pass on through.]

[WILDCARD Got something else in mind? HIT ME.]

dragon me down what??

[tryingnottodie]

[Illusions mask Carival-goers from looking abnormal to the locals, but that's definitely a very small black and orange-gold dragon sniffing a little disdainfully at the edge of some of the strings. Only about the size of a dog, he's easy to miss really, up until someone starts paying attention, and his illusory cover is an equally overlookable dark-skinned child.

A bit of tongue pokes out to taste the web. Up until Carly speaks up, and he jumps, finned crest along his neck and back standing on end.]

What? No!

[He sounds aghast at the idea. Or perhaps just really alarmed about it. Oddly enough nothing about her appearance really made him uneasy, she didn't look even REMOTELY heroic. If she was an adventurer, he'd eat the web!]

... But if you're having trouble with your web thing, I can probably help with that.

[He's seen giant spiderwebs before, and it's nothing at all like this. Did she eat those weird carts driving around all over the place by themselves?]

[dressedtothe]

[Out in Wismuth]
Right, so he's a Star Guardian now, whatever that's supposed to mean. It was weird hearing a voice in his head asking him if he was willing to fight for the preservation of life. Usually that's the sort of thing he'd experience if he was hacking a machine or something, not while fighting a biological being. And he kind of likes living? So of course he said yes!

He just. Didn't think that saying yes would come with a costume change and extra powers. Fat load of good that did against Lavellan, though. He ended up having to make an escape. But at least he knows what happened to the missing people.

His appearance has changed with additional chicken feathers threaded through his hair courtesy of one (1) Jonathan Strange. But the chicken feathers are a minor problem.

It's the heels that are the issue.

Yeah, yeah, the preservation of life is important, but did the power have to come with heels? How the heck does 2B fight in them? 9S has half a mind to take off the heeled boots and go around barefoot, but apparently it's linked to his powers... or something?

"This is stupid!" he yells in frustration as he catches himself using a lamppost before he can faceplant into the pavement thanks to the heels.

Who invented this awful footwear!?

Closed to Lavellan

[dressedtothe]

9S' been looking for the missing Carnival members, as he was ordered to. It's the search that leads him to a crowded mall, one that has an open air area in the centre of it.

It seems strange, odd, illogical, that he should find one of the missing people here. But sure enough, there's no mistaking it. That's Lavellan. Sporting different clothes, but since when has a change in clothes changed a person? It certainly hadn't done much for Adam and Eve.

It's just a relief to see Lavellan in one piece.

So it's with that in mind that he approaches her, a smile on his face. "Lavellan! You're alright!"

Alphys | OTA-ish

[textsfromhotland]

A: Awakening!! The Spark Within Comes Forth!

Alphys doesn't want to go back to Wismuth amidst all this chaos. It'd be a lot easier to just... hide out at the carnival until this all blew over. But seeing Noa fight her hardest against CY-Ren sort of... inspired her. She may not want to, but deep down she knows she has to do something.

As she gawks at the insanity that's overtaken the city, though, she's not entirely sure what it is she needs to do.

[ooc: Alphys is about to get her Spark, but she needs a little prodding first. Ideally from battling a Harbinger or rescuing a civilian in need!]

B: Mew Mew Kissy Alphie-Chan!! Can I Really Save the Day?

So this is the best day of Alphys' life. It's one thing to meet an actual magical girl, it's quite another to become one herself! As much as she wants to just stop and admire herself in the reflection of a store window, she has a mission to fulfill! Using her heart staff as a flying broomstick, she takes to the skies and looks for the agents of chaos reigning terror over the city.

When she spots trouble, she divebombs the ground, landing with more grace than she's ever shown in her entire life. By her side is a small fish floating in a magic bubble.

"I am Star Guardian Alphys!" She announces, brandishing her staff. "I'm here to right wrongs, and triumph over evil!"

C: Wildcard!! Did I Forget Something?

[Got another idea? HMU]

B

[everybodypanic]

What's with all these Star Guardians showing up out of nowhere? Seriously, it had been just herself and Noa for a while. But the field was getting a lot more cramped all of a sudden.

Jinx was already on the scene in her own uniform when she got company.

"Uh, you're really into this, aren't you."

Gongenzaka | OTA

[betheman]

[YOUR NEW PARTNER IS... | Closed, Yuuya & Yuzu]
Please, Ringmaster...to simply stand idle and watch, as my greatest friends face our own comrades and fight...to do so would be UNFORGIVABLE..!

[Those-naturally-were his words to the Ringmaster when he had found out what Creation had done. Yuzu and Yuuya-his two greatest friends, both wore incredible costumes while swathed in power that seemed to radiate pure life from them both, and it was safe to say it was not without cost. The very experiences that woke such might were a blow to the gut, to put it lightly. Which was why he had asked...and, well.

The Ringmaster had certainly answered.]

A...Auuhhhh... [His voice comes out a squeak. He stands barely a foot tall now, tiny, and cute, and there is some sort of feeling in his heart that he cannot entirely place, as if he's tied himself to something with a strong of pure spirit. A small part of him initially wondered if this was some sort of joke, but it was quickly beaten down with the obvious. This wasn't the time for such things. Given what was happening, the Ringmaster wouldn't be doing stuff for shits and giggles.

Or at least, well, it wouldn't be the primary reason (he had no doubt in his mind that she was still having a good chuckle over this). Regardless, that meant this was important somehow. ....If. He could just find out how.

Tracking Yuuya-and by extension Yuzu, given they were fighting together last he heard-is less difficult than he expects at least, despite the sheer scale of the city. His Aura Sensing certainly can't go so far as the edges of the place, but he does pick up something...and so? When he finally sees what he's tracking, he starts barrelling over, somehow still maintaining the sort of speed he could at full size.]

Mnnh-! Yuuya..! Yuzu-!

[Look. Down. Guys.]

[The Tiniest Patrol]

[Gongenzaka can't be out there All the time, not if Yuzu doesn't manage that at least. Since he's Yuzu's partner (what with Yuuya refusing and all), that means sticking near Yuzu. So since Yuzu is presently on the grounds again, if only for a little bit at least, he wanders the grounds himself. He can tell where she is within the limits after all-so it's fine if they're separate. The moment she needs him around to go out and patrol or fight, he'll be right over! There's just...one thing.

He's one foot tall, so you might not spot him. Sure, he can move just as fast as before, and he's still got his vines and magic...but as it stands? He's Short. Tiny. Smol.

You could probably pick him up before he even realized what you were doing, actually.]

[WILDCARD From the afternoon of Day 16 onward, Gongenzaka is...A Tiny Guardian Familiar. Awwww. So hit him up! OR you could request something before that...]

smol patrol

[sunflowerfields]

[He may be hard to spot if you're a normal-sized adult, but what if you're also a smol critter?

Gon might feel the tiniest tap on his back.]

Phan?

Papyrus - Day 15-16

[spaghettimonster]

SLOW-BREAKING NEWS: THE CARNIVAL IS IN TOWN [day 14-16, closed to harbingers]

It's been a busy couple of days, what with the big epiphany, the distractions of the penthouse's luxuries, and the time practicing with their new powers. After that first debrief about the new Harbingers, interrupted by bickering as it was, there's a bit of doubt - no, not doubt, their cause is too clear and certain for any space for doubts in their hearts - a shadow of concern weighing over Papyrus.

The fact of the matter is, as cool and capable and in-charge as CY-Ren so clearly is... she doesn't seem to know of the Carnival. Which is trivial details, in the face of everything, to be sure! But... the carnival has gone around, investigating and interfering in all manner of things, for years longer than he's been involved. They can be pretty good at causing problems, even for the people they ought to be helping.

Normally he would go to the person in charge, give his worry directly to them. But there's something too awful about bringing it up to CY-Ren a second time and being overlooked again. He doesn't want her to think less of him, to think he's not confident or dedicated or anything.

So instead he finds other Harbingers to talk to.

"Hey, do you have a minute??" He doesn't give the chance to refuse, and follows them around if need be. "I was... still thinking about the others, from the carnival. How stubbornly they cling to life, you know? And, well, the Ringmaster will probably interfere... We should do something about that!"


WORD ON THE STREET [day 16, OTA - here there be NPCs]

There's a trail through several blocks of the city, a strangely heavy dust scattered across streets and sidewalks and motionless people. Not that everyone's affected; it's only really a scattering, each accompanied by alarmed onlookers talking excitedly or fearfully about Death.

Evidently a skeleton's going around, seemingly killing people with a toss of powder into their faces - but the motionless people are still alive. Very unconscious, resistant to waking up except through things like strong smelling salts or really emotional pleas, but alive. And nearly all are upset at waking again, as though they'd been having the most wonderful dreams, and they express their unhappiness in ways that add to the spreading chaos.

Everywhere it goes, minor inconveniences are compounding; how can anybody leave this parking garage, with a sleeping driver's car still in park in the way of the exit? Or get their sidewalk hotdogs when the vendor is leaning back in his seat, drooling and snoring? (Besides stealing them, anyway, which causes its own arguments among onlookers.)

If anyone follows the trail back in search of the Harbingers' Hideout, they'd be out of luck; Papyrus didn't start doing this until he saw a bunch of televisions in a storefront, and thought of what an excellent distraction TV can be. The trail just meanders back on itself repeatedly, possibly as he'd searched for his goal, possibly as he laid out a design like a pixelized skeleton's face. (There's still time for the classics.)


TODAY'S WEATHER REPORT: PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOOZE [day 16, OTA - probably showing live on a local news station]

In one of these blocks of scattered unconscious folks, a local news station had set up for an on-the-street weather report. It's here that Papyrus finally stops to talk, to really get into the spirit of the thing.

The reporter had screamed a little, the camera crewperson jumped and the shot wavered a bit... but it was some kind of news, and they'd kept filming. Maybe it's even showing as live coverage, despite the great gap between whatever this is and the weather.

"Ah, ahem," a quick throat-clearing cough, then raising his voice theatrically. "ATTENTION, HUMANS! CANCEL YOUR PLANS, AS THERE IS NO NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR 'WEATHER REPORT' ANY LONGER! BECAUSE, THE ONLY REPORT THAT MATTERS TODAY... IS THAT I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, HAVE COME TO WRECK DOOM UPON YOUR WORLD! YOUR CITY! YOUR VERY WAY OF LIFE."

Papyrus, looking something more like this (albeit with the changes from time in the Carnival), spreads an arm wide to indicate some nearby storefronts. A few people have been dusted and are now snoozing against a doorway, contented smiles on their faces.

"NO LONGER WILL YOU BE SHACKLED TO DOING YOUR DAILY DUTIES, YEARNING TO GO BACK TO BED... DOESN'T THAT SOUND NICE?? MORE WILL BE COMING, LATER! BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT... IS FOR ME TO KNOW! AND YOU TO FIND OUT... IN DUE TIME."

With that, he grins a bright, pointier than ever smile at the reporter. He's now taking questions.

[tryingnottodie]

There's a dark-skinned humanish looking boy sitting a good storefront away on a crate, watching all this go on. It's not a glamour this time, he's back to practicing his shapeshifting, but he hasn't quite gotten 'human' down given he still has the horns and claws and sharp teeth.

And that! Is definitely a skeleton in a cape.

Now, Vicarian knew heros when he saw them, they too sometimes wore capes. But the speech the skeleton launches into is definitely NOT a heroic speech, it sounded positively something like the coven would say! Doom could be extremely interesting, so long as he stayed out of the blast radius. Maybe there'd be looting.

He has no idea what a camera is, or that Live News is going on, he just knows the humans are not reacting as they should be for a proper speech, they're ...going to sleep and looking happy about it. Maybe the speech wasn't as good as it sounded?

The small dragon in humanish shape considers for a long moment before applauding politely. There, see! They could at least applaud before dozing off, it's not every day PENDING DOOM bothered to warn them first!

ota + possible closed prompts

[hurtcomfort]

what a shock! cole can show memories?
You're going down the street, minding your own business, probably thinking about saving the world things or destroying all of creation things when something weird happens. Characters that tag in will find a happy memory of theirs broadcast in front of them, as if playing on a movie screen. The memory can be something as simple as 'that one time I had really good ice cream' or something as meaningful as 'the day I got married.' The length of the memory also varies from person to person. There's only two constants. One, the memories are happy. Two, also watching the memory, with a big smile on his face is Cole.

Those magically savvy can figure out that Cole's the cause of showing these memories to begin with. He's wearing a silly outfit with a silly hat and a small pink animal named Nigella magically floats in the air next to him. And Cole just looks so happy as he watches the memory.

"Can I do this forever?" he excitedly asks Nigella.

i need a speech? cole and public speaking
"Now repeat after me!" Nigella chirps, looking over at Cole. With her tiny little arms, she strikes a very dramatic sentai pose. "The thought of those dear to you: Guardian Memory!"

Cole attempts to recreate the sentai pose. However, it's like he's forgotten to bend his elbows and has compensated by bending his knees way too much. It's awful. Nigella seems to realize the pose's terribleness, as she gives Cole a hopeful 'you can do this' sort of look. Oh, right, the speech. "Um, the thought of those dear to you: Guardian Compassion?"

"Nooo, it's Memory!"

"But I'm not memory, I'm compassion."

They're practicing in an alleyway. Thankfully, Cole's made himself unseen to normal citizens of Wismuth, so most people pass by without noticing. But carnival members (both brainwashed and not) can stop by to watch a grownass spirit get bossed around by a tiny floating pink thing. It's obvious to anyone watching that this has and will go on for a while.

wildcardish: even more of cole's weird minievents
Saving the day and being a Star Guardian doesn't change the fact that Cole's still a weird compassion spirit who occasionally does things that are a bit odd. Throughout Wismuth, people can run into him doing some confusing nonsense.

A: trying to talk to one of Childermass's weird creepy shadow birds
B: literally rescuing a cat from a tree
C: taking pictures of a roomba with a polaroid camera that definitely isn't his
D: whispering in the ear of a hot dog vendor.
E: standing outside the breaker box of a supermarket, looking damn confused.

The main difference between this and the previous weird shit Cole's been doing is that Nigella keeps on badgering him, in her high pitched voice. "What are you doing?! Being a Star Guardian doesn't have anything to do with this, you need to be saving the world!"

( ooc: so obviously I don't know everybody's canon and thus can't choose happy memories for anyone who tags in. If you're choosing the first prompt, please at least give a vague description of the happy memory that Cole's broadcasting so I'll know what to thread against! )

memory theatre

[dressedtothe]

9S has already undergone his awakening, but really the largest struggle is walking (and fighting) in these damn heels, not the control over his power. So when 9S jerks in surprise when he suddenly sees an image of 2B before him, two of his five floating lasers point at the memory. It's a memory of him and 2B fishing from the banks of the Flooded City. Granted, androids' idea of fishing mostly involves throwing the pods out to sea and watching the support units grab the fish, but still...

"2B," he murmurs, her name a whisper caught by the wind.

He knows he should stop watching -- who's causing this? -- bue he finds he can't tear his eyes away from the memory.

It's peaceful, quiet, undisturbed by machines. They said nothing, just spent the day fishing, watching the gentle waves in front of them. The salty, humid wind blew against them, and the surface of the water sparkled brilliantly.

He lets out a quiet breath, a small smile curling the corners of his mouth, before he turns to search for the source of the memory digging. "...Cole?"

He knows Cole can poke around in his head, so it seems to be about as good a guess as any.

WARDROBE WEIRDNESS & self-perception sabotage | OTA

[worldlyafflictions]

If you're here for mindgames:
Something strange is going on in Wismuth's bougie river-side shopping center. Normally the mood there is bright and cheerful, owing to the sunny outdoor restaurants and the gardened river front, as well as the bustling fashion and beauty shops of all sorts that line the boardwalk, where people come and go carrying their brightly bagged purchases and chatting animatedly with their friends. Today however, the chatter of the patrons seems hushed and tense, people stop to stare at themselves in the windows of stores, brows knitted, and everywhere one goes it seems there are a few people who are visibly stressed and dissatisfied.

If you pause to investigate you may start to feel yourself being pulled in by the atmosphere. You start to think about how nothing you're trying seems to be turning out right, and what went wrong before that, and how you messed up before that. Soon you may find yourself dwelling on all kinds of personal flaws--in appearance, in personality, in character... When the sudden cloud of gloom threatens to overtake you, that's when he'll appear, casual as can be.

"Not feeling too hot there?"

If you're here for shenanigans:
Striking at people's self-image isn't always very effective. So you've gotta strike their projected image instead. If you happen to wander near the Enigmatic Undergarments shop, you may have come across the epicenter of mayhem and carnage--people screaming in surprise as their clothes suddenly seem to disappear, bags thrown in the air as they move to cover themselves, or knocking over display stands as they jump behind them or try to yank something off a hanger to replace their seemingly invisible clothes. The underwear being revealed probably isn't even the underwear they were actually wearing, instead being something obviously silly, or stylish, or racy that they once admired or even thought about wearing...

If you're extra unlucky, the person who's found themselves suddenly naked could be you.

Shima will be up on an overhang, laughing himself silly, seemingly unnoticed by the civilians around.

shenanigans

[prazerbutterfly]

With how every corner stop and grocery store seemed to be overrun with harbingers he's honestly surprised there isn't clothes attacking people on the streets or various animals running amok. It's the screams that alert his attention over anything else and out of curiosity he turns the next corner to see a lot of people ducking behind mailboxes, assorted racks and various objects to hide themselves.

He can't say he's not amused as he looks over the bout of people. If he can see this chaos in the making along with what they are wearing he'll admire perhaps a second too longer at some of the lovely bodies on display. Well, it's definitely something different and when the laughter starts he'll turn his head towards the other with a raised brow, "Not bad, kid. Not bad."

He does glance down at his own clothes disappearing and the feel of some rather tight and silky booty shorts now on his body. At least he doesn't look half bad in them nor is he ashamed of his body, "Oi."

lavellan | ota & then closed starters as needed.

[dirthena]

i.
( She spends her time at the beginning simply walking through crowds. Her appearance is enough to cause whispers in the most busy of public spaces -- short, with pointed ears and purple tattoos on her face, dressed in a black outfit that looks far more medieval than most. Yet like the other Harbingers, it is clearly black and dripping with the Void, rich purple highlights running along the seams and across the metal. But what she does causes more unease than anything else: whispers that people are lying, conversations about how the person sitting across from someone had been withholding something from their partner.

On her shoulder is a rather cruel looking, and rather large raven, who's eyes are trained not on her but on everyone passing by, and occasionally it caws when someone gets too close. The wicked looking double ended glaive strapped to her back doesn't help with any appearance of her aiming to do anything but cause, well. Subdued chaos. )

ii.
( And sometimes chaos needs to be a little more obvious. Just a little inconvenience.

After a point, when she sees that the work she's done hasn't erupted into people arguing each other but a general feeling of unease, she sighs. Would she always feel like the work she'd done wasn't enough? Not when they succeeded, however, and Lavellan uses that knowledge to call into the shadows and send out figures into the gathered crowds. Shadowy wolves to nip at the heels of the shemlen, wyvren running through crowds. They don't do anything but fade in and out and cause people to question if what they've seen is real, grabbing attention when they linger for more than a second. But then someone blinks, someone turns away, and they're gone. Some people huddle up, whispering to each other as the unease spreads -- some shemlen come closer, wanting to find the truth.

Lavellan grins from her position in the shadows, sending another bout of wolves to weave between people's legs before they're gone. Just what CY-Ren wanted, or so she hopes. )

iii.
[ WILDCARD. throw anything at me or contact me on plurk/discord to set something up! ]

1!

[hurtcomfort]

[ There is just an explosion of hurt, of pain and suffering. It's almost enough to overwhelm Cole. But he needs to find what this is and he needs to stop it. So he flits through the crowds, unseen and unnoticed as he tries to track just who caused all of this and try to find a way to stop them.

And man, Cole's heart is just crushed when he sees Lavellan in the center of it all. This shouldn't be happening. This isn't right. He's got to save her, got to help...but how? Whatever this magic is that changed her has changed her thoroughly.

Still, this is Cole. He's going to give it a shot. ]

You shouldn't be doing this, [ he simply says, as he appears about six or so feet away from Lavellan. He's not going to get near her (at least, not yet), but she needs to hear him. ] Someone who sought to save shouldn't destroy.

[motivenotfound]

The problem with being in her full transformation is that she is not even a little normal looking. Which isn't really a problem in and of itself, she's just not used to causing trouble so visibly and still getting away with it.

But she supposes that's the point this time, isn't it?

So there's no shame in walking down the street shamelessly pink and scaly, seven and a half feet tall in heels, her long tabby tail swishing behind her as she flexes her new powers. Tires squeal at her passing, cars slamming into light posts, buildings, each other. She picks targets--a businesswoman in a teal suit--and wills it to happen: the improbable mishap that makes their day just a little bit--or a lot bit--worse. An AC unit plummets from a window, clipping teal-suit's phone out of her hands on the way down before smashing into the pavement. Hope that phone wasn't new. A leash snaps, sending a dog darting into the road, and a car swerves to avoid it--but causes a five-car pileup instead. Smoke. Sirens. Screaming. Yelling. It's... too easy.

She needs a bigger target. A racetrack, an arcade....

Yes, something like that. She needs a challenge.

GUARDIAN TIME

[pullingamiko]

Miko supposes that, theoretically, she's out here to look for the missing Carnival members - but, honestly, she has no idea where to start. At least, not until she hears the screech of tires and crunching of metal, and, when she spins toward the source, holding Screamo tight against her chest...

...Well. Mari is not difficult to recognize, that's for sure.

Miko's eyes go wide, and, in what might not be the greatest decision she's ever made, she immediately points at Mari and shouts out "You!"

[stillwinningthehardway]

Scout's Guardian form is less dramatically eye catching than many. Her outfit is not too dramatically unlike what she might choose. The most notable change to her is her much longer, elaborately braided and sort of oddly done up hair. More dramatic is the change to her dæmon. In Guardian form he's very much larger and lankier, formed much more like the tusk cat that Scout somewhat resembles, though still maned and with a very long tufted tail, and still with his usual coloring and a recognizable face. There's also a faint aura of very pale blue light around him.

"I don't think I need to explain it," he's saying in his deep, soft voice, that quiet rumble that doesn't carry far at all. "I'm still part of you. What I know, you know."

Scout makes a face. She has no idea how to feel about all this. Why her, for one? "I'd still rather hear it."

"We should be searching for the Harbringers." Tràkata turns his head, makes rare eye contact with someone nearby. Some dæmons interact quite willingly with other bodies, but from him it's not common. "Wouldn't you agree?"

[sunflowerfields]

"Er, me?" Hinawa points to herself, not quite sure how to address this giant talking cat. She's so taken aback that she doesn't even notice Scout at first. "Oh my goodness, Scout!? Is that you?"

Grinding to a Halt || OTA

[sworntothesword]

i.D16 Practice Makes Perfect

Connie spent the first day of 'havoc' honing her powers. She didn't want to totally whiff ending the world. That would be completely embarrassing.

She sticks to the outskirts of the city, in 'stealth' with her civilian form, sending out a cat sized drone in the form of a seafoam green orb with four disembodied legs, once she'd found a target. A single spray of goo from the bushes, and then the orb would return to her. This particular Wismuther was surprised and grossed out as the gel melted into his skin, leaving only an uncomfortable residue after a few moments. The effects were obvious as soon as he continued his walk and found himself at a literal crossways, spending several minutes trying to decide to cross or not.


ii.D17 Grinding to a Halt

Traffic is unusually bad on day 17 depending on where you go in Wismuth, as all of the traffic lights are having trouble 'deciding' what color to be. The keen-eyed can find somewhere near any affected traffic light, a seafoam green basketball sized orb is hooked into a control panel, causing the lights to randomly change between the available settings.


iii.D18 Escalation

Connie is annoyed that she didn't think of this first! What better place to cause chaos than in the kind of high stress, zero flexibility place as an airport?

She's much less subtle by now, appearing in her full harbinger outfit, made difficult to pinpoint only because of the size of the airport and the number of people around. She dispatched orbs in every direction as she walked, which sprayed everyone they could find in indecision goo, causing lines at every store, restaurant and check-in line to grow and congest every available foot of space. 'Carry-on or check-in' was soon a dreaded question that caused a unified 'ugh' as it was a sentence of fifteen more minutes before a traveler would even get to present their ticket, and the flight was in only an hour!

Finally, Connie reached the large monitor displaying the arrival and departure times of all flights. She pointed an armored finger at the board and fired a beam of energy, and every time changed, and continued to change. An angry crowd soon gathered and started accosting every available customer service rep or staff person to demand to know when their flight was actually going to be here.


iv. Wildcard!

ii

[anti_nonsense]

Accompanied by her Litten, Francis, Rita follows the sounds of screeching brakes and honking horns to find one of the malfunctioning traffic lights. Being a technician, it doesn't take long for her to locate the control panel... but she stops short of touching the strange green orb.

"What the heck is this thing?" Thinking fast, she sweeps her hand out and conjures a glowing interface to scan the object. If there's magic in there, maybe she can figure out where it came from, what it does, or how to undo it.

Miko Nakadai | OTA

[pullingamiko]

Okay, so, things happened and now apparently Miko is a magical girl - which she’ll take, honestly. Like, there are worse things than suddenly gaining magic powers in a time of need.

So now she’s running around the city, dodging around any pedestrians or signs of recent chaos that might block her way, with a little lavender-grey lop-eared rabbit close on her heels. For such a small animal, Screamo is doing a startlingly good job of keeping up - especially while letting out a more-or-less continuous stream of squeaks and screeches. She’s so loud, dear god.

“Yeah-- I know, I know! I’m keepin’ an eye out!” Evidently, whatever those squeaks mean, Miko can understand them to some degree or another. She’s sounding just a little bit exasperated, though that could just as easily be from her familiar’s apparent pestering, or from trying to track down any Harbingers in the area.

Lauren and Susan

[mylastchance]

Lauren meanwhile is walking around covered in what could best be described as "pumpkin guts," after getting attacked by vegetable monsters at the farmers market. He doesn't look too happy about this fact either. He has pretty much zero clue what's going on, but things in Wismuth are complete and total chaos to the point that the normally shy and nervous druid is becoming just flat out irritated. That's when he see's Miko in some kind of stupid costume.

"Hey! Miko! Miko!!" If anyone here knew what was going on surely it would be someone like Miko. She was dressed weird and running around after all, with some kind of rabbit? Whatever. He just needed someone to tell him what the fuck was going on around here.

ota let's get this terrible party started

[tacosgay]

old magic

Taako hovers over the busy shopping areas of the city, Levitate and a bit of a push with his glaive granting him a fairly nice few of the crowds; he's in his full Void regalia, tapered skirt trailing behind him as he glides. He drifts over to the side of a building and catches himself there, letting himself down on the roof of a large shopping mall.

This should be good.

He picks himself up with Levitate again, and pushes off, gliding over the crowds and back a ways down the street; and then, once he's a fair distance off, and in a clear enough part of the street where he's certain he won't crush anyone underfoot, he interrupts his Levitation spell to instead cast Polymorph. When he hits the ground, it's with enough force to shake the street beneath the feet of the people nearby, and it doesn't even take long enough for him to land for people to start panicking.

Then again, what else can you fucking do when a literal t-rex has just fallen out of the sky?

Taako, now in the form of Dupree the t-rex, stomps his way down the street, taking an odd amount of care to avoid actually stepping on anyone or doing any real property damage-- not that the people below are actually paying any attention to that. They're much too busy tripping over themselves as they run away, and Taako-- Dupree-- follows after, herding them all towards the shopping mall with what someone could definitely interpret as glee.


too late, all gone

Taako has discovered that, within his Spark, there was something new-- a power unique to his new self, something he apparently gained when he gave up. The nature of this ability is almost comical, all things considered; both in how ironic it is, and how its very nature spits in the face of the emotions that crushed him not too long ago, and then reshaped him into what he is now. He isn't exactly sure of how to use them to cause chaos, at the moment... but he's certain he'll think of something.

In fact...

For the time being, he sits at the sidelines, watching; he's in his Harbinger clothing, of course, though his glaive is currently tucked away. The use of this new ability requires him to pay close attention, and maybe use a touch of Detect Thoughts, though he's trying to keep that on the down-low, as well. He has to pick a good target, if he's going to do this right.

He picks himself up from the bench he was on, and he strolls down the street, his gait smooth and measured; he sees a mother walking with her child, and the two are hand-in-hand, and he knows, already, what to do. He steps off into an alleyway nearby, and he summons his glaive--

-- and then, with a deft, quick slicing motion, the bond between that child and their mother is severed, and the child is suddenly being lead along by a complete stranger. At first, there's quiet confusion-- Taako peers out, and he sees that they've stopped.

Then the child begins to panic.

Sure, screaming children aren't uncommon in crowded places, but one that's so suddenly realized whoever they're in the arms of isn't anyone that they know-- a child declaring loudly that the adult with them isn't their mother-- is generally much more alarming, and a crowd is beginning to gather, some people stepping in to try and separate the child from the woman, others calling the police.

Taako drops the glaive's tip, and his posture is rigid. An odd sensation is washing through him; disgust with himself, pride at just how easy this is now. Horror that he's doing exactly what she did to him.

It's actually for the best this time, though. At least these two won't hurt for long, not like the decade he was left like that. He's at least got enough of a sense of mercy to see to that much.

all gone

[hurtcomfort]

"But they still hurt in the first place," Cole responds, from behind Taako. He's in full Guardian regalia and a tiny pink rabbit-like animal clings to his hat. He's watching the mother and child as well, but with a sad frown on his face. He can only make people forget. He can't make them remember. And, showing a happy memory of the two could only do so much.

He's going to try that anyway. But after he talks to Taako, of course.

"Why would you make them go through that when you know what you know?"

( ooc: Cole's an infomoddy creep so please fill out his permissions post b/c fuck if I know all the d&d nonsense Taako can do )

[fourthscribe]

Outbreak (NPCs)

There's something odd happening to the people of Wismuth today. They seem tired, worn out, apathetic beyond what a simple bad mood could cause--which is made even more clear by the watery double that follows them, seemingly invisible to those around the victim. Still others seem to be vanishing from sight entirely, reaching out to others only to be ignored, sometimes even passing through the very people they try to reach out to. Some others struggle for breath and have an incredible craving for water--nearly an obsession.

These are hardly the only phenomena, and some may be familiar to those that have been with the carnival for some time. Un and Ah taking up residence in people's ears, kagebi working their way into gas burners in restaurants, and a...surprising amount of shimi devouring book store's wares. One thing is very odd about these mushi, though--when driven out of a host or destroyed, rather than reacting as they 'ought' to they dissolve into a puddle of black ink. Curious...

Infestation (Tanyuu)

For those able to see mushi, the source of this plague is much easier to track, but simple investigation will reveal the source easily enough--one of the nature parks in Wismuth has become very odd of late. Where plants had previously bloomed with vibrant health they now wilt and shrivel up, leaving huge swaths of dead brown branches and dried petals and leaves. In the center of a dense cluster of trees and crackly bushes there is a shadowy nest, and from it ink spirals out into the air before forming into mushi of an incredible range of types, drifting away into the air. At first the area seems undefended, but as anyone approaches Tanyuu's long form slithers out from behind the nest...and she smiles.

"I wouldn't suggest interfering."

INFESTATION

[dontpokethat]

At first, Ginko did the best he could to do what so many people had advised him to in the past: Stay out of what he couldn't handle, keep himself out of trouble. Which... honestly, not trying to find Tanyuu or look into the situation with the Harbingers was one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life.

In a couple different ways, the reports of outbreaks of what definitely sounded like mushi infections came as something of a relief. On one hand, it was obviously... kind of a huge problem, and confirmed exactly what he had come to fear about Tanyuu's whereabouts.

On the other... maybe it was better to know for sure than to be left wondering. Besides which, this was something he could help with - even if it meant leaving his and Tanyuu's animals back at the Carnival for the time being, for safety's sake.

He hadn't actually set out with the goal of tracking Tanyuu down in mind. Not consciously, anyway; he told himself he probably wasn't equipped to face her on his own, not with how she was right now, even if he could find her. He was just investigating the mushi infections.

But, of course, one thing led to another, and it didn't take too long to track the outbreaks to their source.

"...Tanyuu."

Harime Nui | Kill La Kill OTA with one closed prompt

[shearmadness]

First transformation - Closed to Tyki

[shearmadness]

Nui came out to attack people, and honestly she's having so much fun right now. While not everyone in the Carnival is a battle enthusiast, when it comes time to charge into a fight, Nui is happy to dive into the action. She's been stabbing and smacking void creatures around, and has even switched her purple scissor blade from its normal mode to scythe mode. No matter what she does, there's no end to these dark creatures wreaking havoc on people. Normally, Nui wouldn't even care. She's quite content to ignore the pain of others and get caught up in the carnage instead.

What's changed is that all of them could be her models. She liked the fashion district around here. Especially the more high end clothing. While her sense of style would always be her own, a good designer was able to take inspiration from multiple sources and do an entirely new take on something that had been done before, too.

She's vaguely aware of Tyki nearby. He already is one of her models, but from what she's managed to glimpse, he can hold his own in a fight. She'll have his back if he calls for it, but until he does, she's content enough to continue on her way.

It's when she sees some of the void creatures heading toward a store she'd particularly liked that something changes. There's too many void creatures around for her to get there in time, and it just won't do to have beauty like that ruined. "STOP!" Pink light surrounds her, and a second later, she's in full magical girl regalia. That same pink light comes from her fingers, binding the void creatures. Much to her confusion.

"Huh? I couldn't do that with the life fibers before!"

Zangetsu

[moonfang]

Too Genre Aware For This Shit -- closed to Tyki

[moonfang]

Tyki had been the first person that Zangetsu had checked with when he felt Ichigo's reiatsu vanish from the carnival. Maybe he had found some way to mask his presence after all this time? It was a stupid hope, a selfish one. They had been making such progress! Or, at least, Zangetsu thought so. Still... Ichigo would have to return to the carnival someday to complete his contract, and at home, he was hopefully already benefiting from Zangetsu's contract.

That doesn't make Zangetsu any less sulky, though. And now there was this whole mess with Harbingers of Void and Star Guardians and what the hell ever? He didn't have the patience for this shit, especially because neither side deigned him worthy of its attention. It was a clash of super powers, and without his partner, he didn't have the strength to obliterate them all and just be done with it. Tyki was the next best thing. They could watch each other's backs and ensure nothing went too awry.

So, for now, he's with Tyki in his (and Ichigo's, formerly) trailer, going through the things that Ichigo had left. He took the wings, of course, that jerk. But he also took the coat Zangetsu had gotten for him, and that made his heart (well, the hole where his heart should be) warm. As he sorts through the few remaining belongings, he finds a glass bottle, the liquid inside swirling like miniature galaxies. He knows what it is; the same vendor that had sold him the healing draughts also touted this as the most potent alcohol in the universe.

"Oi!" he says, turning to Tyki, holding up the bottle and shaking it a bit, "Did Ichigo buy this, really? Or did ya sneak this into his stuff?"

Closed to Jasper (d18)

[periphrasing]

So their last conversation hadn't exactly been a civil one. Peridot is well aware of that. She is also well aware, by this point, that she may have flown off the handle a little bit during the course of it. She'd absolutely let her emotions get the better of her, all etiquette forgotten in the face of such world-shaking loss and disappointment.

But does she regret her behavior?

No. Not really. It had taken a suggestion from Lambert (and a long night of ingesting questionable substances of fae origin in the company of Strange) for Peridot to get herself back together, but now, in the cold light of day, it's clear that there's really only one course of action she can take if she's really serious about involving herself in this fight.

So... here she is. It's early morning when she hunts Jasper down just outside the big top, jaw set, a grim and determined look about her. She doesn't even announce herself really, she just walks right up and declares:

"I am appointing myself as your familiar. Effective immediately. You are prohibited from declining."

So deal with it.

[stompadour]

Jasper is currently relocating a concessions cart from one location in the Carnival to another for some reason she personally does not fully understand -- it's none of her business, she just does what she's told. She stops when Peridot addresses her, but she doesn't put the cart down, just squints suspiciously at the other gem around the empty candyfloss drum.

"Appointing yourself as my what?"

Day 16/17 | Open Prompt at the end | cw: reanimated dead animals

[scientificist]

Day 16 | Evening | Closed to Foster
The hospital was a mistake, he can see that now. Not for any fault of his own, aside from perhaps not stretching himself to the full extent of his new powers—no, he needs backup, an assistant. A familiar, as CY-Ren mentioned. And he knows exactly who it is who will make the ideal familiar. He should have asked for expansion on the process from CY-Ren, perhaps but...no, he’ll work it out. It’s even quite obvious to him how he should begin.

Herbert finds Foster on his way…somewhere, looking very intent on wherever or whatever it is. The glamour is easy to see through but it still gives Herbert a headache, trying to think where to look, how stopping him will work. Eventually he just hurries and steps out in front of him, looking much as he usually does.

“Foster!” He’s insistent if not particularly loud on the evening city street, trying to catch Foster’s attention without making a scene.

Day 17 | Morning | Penthouse | Closed to Harbingers
Looking elsewhere was a waste of Herbert’s time. Obviously, as with everything, he should have only looked within himself. Therefore, already entirely in Harbinger garb he’s in CY-Ren’s Penthouse, glaring at a marabou stork with a similar colour palette that has his coat in its beak and is pulling against him. This is still definitely a better idea than trying to control Foster was, but it figures that any kind of aid he tries to procure works against him in some way.

“Stop,” he demands of the bird. “This is absurd—let go. You’re my familiar.” The stork lifts up its wings to flap once, menacingly, and then steps back, dragging Herbert forward a foot. “I’m warning you...” he says, voice shaking, which is just a terrible threat in general. What is he warning it? What can he even do to a creature made from his own will?

Why isn’t it listening to him?

Day 17 | Afternoon | Open to All
In various random areas of Wismuth, some of the wildlife appears to have gone mad, maybe rabid, dirty looking, matted creatures making their way through the city. Stray cats aren’t shying away from people, they’re aggressively running towards them, yowling with a certain amount of menace. Rats are attacking one grocer’s fresh produce in front of their shop, hissing at the shop owner trying to interfere with a broom. A squirrel divebombs someone from a tree, screaming raggedly. Someone is fighting off a Canadian goose with their satchel—though, to be fair, that’s probably just a regular goose, honestly.

And in a park, Herbert is standing, coat billowing in some non-existent wind as he appears to concentrate on meaty green tendrils erupting from somewhere within the coat and plunging into the ground. They move through the earth as he manipulates them, eyes obscured by his glasses, his familiar standing beside him. The stork is hunched ghoulishly over the process, its beak open as if in anticipation. Then, one of the tendrils pulls backwards, bringing with it a sparrow that looks mostly like ragged feathers. It’s already twitching as it’s brought up toward Herbert’s outstretched hand.

Before he can grab it, his familiar snaps it up and gags it down immediately, clacking its beak after as Herbert yells “No!” and tries to pry open its beak. “Will you kindly cease this nonsense?!”


[ooc: If you just wanna interact with some reanimated wildlife we can play that out OR you can come across this scene. Or wildcard it! I'll match style.]

penthouse

[atouts]

"Because it knows you aren't going to do anything."

Childermass is over idly lounging on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table as he shuffles his tarot cards. It's habit to do it, rather than actually needing to. He isn't in his own Harbinger garb, comfortable enough to chill around the penthouse in his regular Wismuth clothing — black slacks, white button-down with the sleeves rolled back, black suspenders. He has a black coat hung up somewhere but, overall, he looks like your usual businessman who's just gotten off of work or something.

Though, yes, he has shoes on indoors and on the coffee table, so, additionally, a rude businessman who's just gotten off of work.

"Why should it listen to you if it doesn't need to?"

REIRA | CLOSED PROMPTS

[soft_focus]

YUUYA | POST MUSEUM??? i don't know what day that is

[soft_focus]

[She's smart enough to stay far, far away from what could be a dangerous area. And they're not that hard to find, either. People tend to continue running even when they think they've successfully escaped-but more than that, if a place just doesn't have a lot of people, or if something seems....not quite right, like a sinking, nauseating sensation telling her to stay away.

So she does. And it isn't as though she doesn't have things to do. She might not be able to help out a lot, but she does what she can, what with so many OTHERS being busy playing hero or villain. And besides that, she's not alone.

Reira wanders this particular corner of the city riding on the back of a young eurasian brown bear, in fact.]

Yukio Okumura | OTA

[reflash]

Close your eyes, [Yukio says to an injured civilian, kneeling beside them on the sidewalk with a dazzling smile. And for some reason, they do. It might be the white and gold and blue of his Star Guardian uniform, it might be the calm, authoritative tone of his voice, it might be because he just saved them from a Harbinger's 'mischief'. The civilian closes their eyes and the white snake that's Yukio's familiar slithers down off of the boy's shoulder and


just straight up bites the person right next to their injury.

Which, contrary to any rational expectation, actually works, and the injury heals. Broken bones straighten out, cuts and bites start to heal, and bruises begin to fade. It's not totally perfect healing, most injuries are still there, just sped along in the healing process enough to no longer be a risk or a significant bother, and Yukio still has to occasionally apply gauze pads or bandages to wounds, and wrap injured limbs and joints, but it's enough that the person can stand up and go home under their own power.

People thank him, of course, and there's a lot of stammering and blushing (and 'can I get a selfie with you?') from people his age, 'what a kind boy' from older women, occasional kisses on the cheek from thankful grandma types, and just general overwhelming gratitude from everyone he heals (is that part of his powers? maybe).]

[exaomori]

[You know who missed the snakey part of this? Shura. Because delaying that is going to be more entertaining. But she happen to notice the crowd forming as she's surveying the area, and of course she's going to go investigate. She can make out Yukio's voice as she approaches--what was he doing to get a crowd like this? It isn't until she's a little closer that she realizes that he's in a spiffy new uniform--and those boots. What. Whaaaat.

Shura will keep her distance for the moment as a girl invades his personal space for a selfie that Yukio may or may not agreed to take with her, partly because if he is working, she wants to let him finish his job, but also because this is probably the funniest thing she's seen in weeks. Yukio might not have the time to notice Shura until the crowd begins to thin, but she's shaking from trying to hold back her laughter. Every single granny trying to compliment him and smooch him just makes it harder to keep it in.]

Heheh--Playboy Four-eyes!