⇨ WISMUTH ENDGAME

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Evening Day 27
Where: The Wismuth Super Dome, Round 2
What: On the verge of creating a world ending army of Harbingers, CY-Ren and her followers are challenged by the carnival and the Star Guardian team. It's time to stop.
Warnings: Singing

THE LAST REQUIEM↴ CY-Ren's planning of a charity concert has been well received - news of bomb threats and harassment from fans have painted her as a victim in the media spotlight, and her generous attempt to make amends is getting plenty of attention. She's been busy spinning things for as much focus as possible, and the threat of potential danger has the news focusing in on the proceedings. The date is set for Day 27 in carnival time. You won't want to miss it! ► BUILD UP: In the last couple days before the concert, CY-Ren will be reaching out to all of her Harbingers, regardless of where they might be at the time - yes, this means that even if you ran off, she'll come to find you! (Unless you're in the carnival like Taako, then you're fucked.) She'll tell you that her plans are coming to head, and that if you help her with one last task then the planet will be on its way to destruction. There are multiple ways you can aid her: you can help amp up her performance as evil backup singers/musicians, or you can set yourself up around the perimeter at specified locations, using your sparks as a beacon to her magic. She's certain that she's perfected her musical formula, this time - when the concert gets underway, all those present with the capacity to be a Harbinger will awaken, and the end of days will begin. ► THE CONCERT: By the time the concert arrives, the Star Guardians will have the idea that there's something unnatural about the way the new Harbingers were made - this isn't how it usually happens, and that sets them apart from someone like CY-Ren. Maybe that means that they can be pulled away with less drastic measures as well, given that the Void didn't have the full right to their souls in the first place. Anyone coming to help (and those who aren't Star Guardians will be encouraged to come as well, given that if they are making attempts at friendship, super powers aren't required) will gather in the area early, determined to stomp this one out before it can get too far. ► HARBINGERS: This is when they will be encountered by Harbingers guarding the perimeter, as well as a small army of void creatures defending CY-Ren's last performance. Star Guardians will become aware through the power of Creation that the Harbingers on the perimeter must be neutralized in order to disrupt the concert - CY-Ren is feeding on their negative energies, and it will make it too dangerous to attack her directly. Confrontations with any Harbingers can be worked out on an individual basis via plotting - just make up a location around the concert and have your Harbinger providing a beacon of their own design. As the concert ramps up, however, the excess of Void energy will cause the newly made Harbingers to destabilize - mentally or magically, their powers will be harder to control, and their negative emotions will be running wild. However, with that instability, there is also room for a breakthrough - for someone to blast the darkness from their Sparks with friendship and light. Now is the time to reach out. ► STAR GUARDIANS: If a Harbinger is successfully turned away from the darkness, they will briefly regain control of their Sparks, and be able to manifest as a Star Guardian for the first time. This will allow the Guardians to outnumber CY-Ren's forces. Their look and powers will still be based around the same Spark, but purified by Creation and aimed towards positive things. Time to win. ► DANCE OFF: Given that the Spark of Music and the Spark of Dance are colliding, it is perhaps not a surprise that this all manifests as a big ass musical number. As CY-Ren and Noa have a music battle, everyone present (even if you aren't a Star Guardian) will find themselves magically inspired to join in. You can dance, sing, or anything in between - the more people who support Noa's side, the stronger she will be. There will be a megathread for this part of the conflict, and at this point any unturned Harbingers will awaken and be able to turn their Sparks towards the light. As CY-Ren begins to lose power, what the players do with her will be up to you.

Comments

[spaghettimonster]

[Yeah, Papyrus catches that fleeting change. That carefully blank expression, followed so quickly with another laugh and smile... He suspects he knows what's behind the blankness, but realizing that Joker's mannerisms are familiar in familial ways isn't what's important here. The important thing is, even at bad news Joker hasn't really done anything. There aren't any signs of an ambush hiding out. Maybe... Maybe he's sincere. An indifferent neutral party in all this.]

I guess so... That is plenty of time and opportunity.

[He stares at Joker for a minute longer, sizing up how he reacts to the slightly threatening stare... the chance of some subtler something going on here... and the chance that Steven would be taken by surprise by it.

Well. The kid decided to let Joker trail along this long, didn't he? It's probably fine. And not Papyrus' problem, if something happens now. He has his own responsibility to get to. The forced smile softens a little bit into something slightly more genuine, or at least closer to his usual smiling demeanor.]

Good job! Keep it up.

[pipers_son]

[Befitting of his name, Joker has an excellent poker face, he's proud to say. At least, for a lot of things he can shove his emotions down his throat and swallow them back. This, fortunately, is one of those times, so he meets the leer of a skeleton glaring back at him... until it finally eases up to something almost familiar.]

[So. That's one problem passed by. Joker's glad for that much, then.]

I'll gladly do so~. [After all, nothing he'll do will be to hurting Steven... Just someone else, if he can find the chance for it.] Drop by again sometime and we can have a chat, yeah? There's a good long while yet until the end of the world~.

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus blinks at Joker's offer, stares at him again - but blankly, this time. Nonthreatening, as he thinks it through. The conclusion of the ritual would be the awakening of all the world's potential Harbingers, but not directly end of the world. CY-Ren would finally have the sheer numbers to overwhelm the world and complete things, but... that still might take hours, days, even... longer.

The realization is jarring enough he's almost forgotten what they were talking about. When he speaks again, it's a little softer, smaller, and lost.]

I... I guess so, huh? There'll still be time after the concert... Uh, yes, I can stop by! No sense being lonely, while we wait.

[pipers_son]

[....Huh. That's certainly a reaction, and Joker quirks up an eyebrow. He'd meant for in case that the set up takes longer.... but whatever Papyrus thinks, he supposes it'll work out for him in the end.]

Exactly. Best ta end things on as happy a note as they can be, right? We can drink ta it- with sober drinks, not alcohol, ha.

[Who knows if they'll actually do this, but, you know. Just in case.]

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus shakes his head, with a slight and pained smile.]

Not that it would matter. Well! I need to go do my part! Don't let me see you over there, and I'll find you later.

[He means it, because why not? His part will be over, and things safely in motion.

Of course, once Papyrus is back to himself, he won't be stopping by for pre-apocalypse drinks. Maybe running by here, in a roundabout route to the concert, to see if anybody's shown up to help Steven to his senses... and pass on the message that maybe things aren't hopeless and irredeemably terrible after all. Things will probably be settling down over here, too.]