HARVEST MOON

[metamods]

 

HARVEST MOON

November is a month of transition. As fall slips by and winter begins extending its icy hand, it feels like a good time to let go of the burdens accumulated in the last year. The Willow Bough Harvest Festival is the ideal time to do just that.

Overnight, the town is transformed. A carnival pops up along the leylines that cross the city, with the center being an altar to the Willow Maiden. Metahumans and humans alike can give small offerings in the hopes that it will sway her dreams for the future.

While this is a festival for metahumans, there are a great number of regular humans in attendance as well. They seem more here for the celebration than any actual worship or tribute to the Goddess herself. For metahumans, it seems to be something… more. Deeper. Strengthening their connection with each other, with the world, and the Goddess who grants them all strength.

While one might think that a celebration of a sleeping Goddess would involve the sharing of dreams with the Gods, this is more a celebration of connection. There are bonfires settled in the woods, with logs set around as a space to share stories of all that you’ve experienced. There are rides to hop on, thrills to seek, and games to play.

This might be the only festival in Sunset Falls that isn’t vaguely associated with ancient murders. In fact, it’s guaranteed you won’t be killed here. Today, Sunset Falls is under the protection of the Willow Maiden. And just this once, for this one week of the year in the town of Sunset Falls - everybody lives.

This is the only time any travelling carnival feels safe setting up in the most cursed city in all the country. The carnival is filled to the brim with things to do. Festival booths sell sugary sweets, savory goods, and some locals are selling something they call ethically sourced zombie fingers... it's not recommended to eat those. There are sneakily rigged carnival games as far as the eye can see, and tricky metas are rewarded for their cleverness in discovering the games.

There are also rides, rides, and more rides! Ferris Wheels, Gravitons, fun houses, impossible roller coasters that run the length of the whole town - if you can think of it, it’s here. Including a small inflatable pool filled with balls. The rides are magically imbued and the carnies can be convinced into creating new ones to match whatever you may need, though they're taking some... interesting short cuts. A Tunnel of Love can go through a sewer, right?

These rides are perfectly safe. Seriously. Thoroughly magicked against destruction and tampering for as long as the festival is active... you might want to get off of them as things come to a close, though. Things will start to fall apart as the Willow Maiden drifts into a deep slumber.

The festival offers a whole host of other attractions for metas and humans alike, however the Starfallen are treated to some.. extras in these festivities.

➢ EMPATHY LINKS

Every attendee is given a small stone pendant called the Willow Seed. These pendants prevent any attendee from using their abilities to cause harm to any other wearing a pendant, a holdover from the days where metahuman conflict ran rampant.

These are magical items meant to help you commune with the Willow Maiden. Wearing it will make you feel stronger than you ever had - both literally and figuratively - and ready to face anything.

You will also feel your connection to the Willow Maiden, her deep and genuine love for you and all you are, all you aren't, and all you could be.

It will also connect you to your fellow Starfallen. While metahumans native to this world are unaffected, the Starfallen will find themselves suddenly feeling each other’s, well, feelings.

➢ MEMORY SHARE

Along with emotions, you may be able to send memories through the link as well. Given the positive energy, positive memories are easier to call forth than negative ones.

➢ THE WILLOW VINES

As this festival is all about connection, the chaotic energies of Sunset Falls try to get involved in the form of trying to force people to form new connections.. in the form of vines snapping two people together by the wrist as they walk by. If you co-operate and get to know this new person the vines will let go on their own after about thirty minutes.

Attempting to resist the connection will make them last longer... much.. much longer.

These will not let go until you connect with this other person - but luckily for you, you recluse, it doesn't require the connection to be positive. A fight - physical or verbal - is as much a connection as a candid conversation. All the vines ask for is some emotional honesty. The easiest way to get free is to make a new friend... or enemy. Connections don't have to be positive.

Attempting to speak with the Willow Maiden will be met with silence. Her Dream Guard will tell any Starfallen who ask that she expended a great amount of power recently to aid them. She will wake in the New Year and will be ready to guide them on what comes next then. WILDCARD.

Metaheroes takes inspiration from all walks of comics. Take a look at the CITIES to get an idea as to what day to day life is like in the other cities. Perhaps you've encountered a supervillain (or hero) who needs to be thwarted, or a metahuman with unusual powers creating bizarre effects.

Comments

Mayuko Shiraki| Fruits Basket (CRAU)| OTA

[welcome_summer]

When it comes to Sunset Falls festivals, it pays to be skeptical when the City Council says it’s going to be harmless, that something like a moratorium on murder will be in effect all week. The pre-timeline-adjustment Harvest Festival had been a bloodbath. Mainly due to the September 1st serial killer running amok for an age. And let’s not get started on Eros’s White Hearts festival. The deputy mayor does her due diligence before heading out there.

“There aren’t any human sacrifices scheduled?”

“No, deputy mayor,” the council members assure.

“And the local cryptids and monstrosities are just… leaving humans alone?”

“There’s one week every year where their hibernation and dormancy cycles sync up. Thanks to the Willow Maiden.” They seem more unsure on this point. Due to their exposure to both Loki and Mayuko, the council has an idea of what the previous timeline entailed. But they’ve also lived their whole lives in THIS timeline, where the Willow Bough festival is an institution.

The resulting “hnnn….” from Mayuko would make a witcher proud.

1. Play

[Mayuko has bundled up warm for the evening. With more trips out to the Magna Cucurbita with the schools on the horizon, it wouldn’t do to come down sick. She toys with the pendant around her neck idly as she scans the festival grounds, a hound puppy and a huge black Nefoundland dog at her heels. She’s not much of a ride-person, but does she want to grab some festival treats? Play a game?

This whole situation has her feeling unsure. Waiting for all of the shoes to drop. All of them. At least the residents are immune to the emotion-bleed. Fellow Starfallen, however… well, maybe some kind soul could distract her.]

2. Fireside

[She needs a moment away from the crowd; the bonfires will have to do. A big barn owl is perched nearby, ignoring Jun’s woofles, while the bigger dog flops away from the fire... losing its shape in the darkness? Nah. It’s probably a trick of the light.

Time to sit back. Take in the stars, the gorgeous fall foliage by night... the other festival goers. Re-center: a pool of calm broken by the occasional spike of intrusive thought. But there’s always room for one more on the log.]

((Open to emotion- and memshare with either prompt. Vine hijinks or other wildcards are welcome!))

Fireside w/ memoryshare

[ofgoldenfoil]

[ Aurican have been asked to light some of the bonfires by his own dragon breath. He doesn’t mind - he knows people enjoy novelties, and the presence of a dragon is certainly novel.

Besides, now that he has joined the Alliance he can have access to a shelter that is not abandoned forestry and or deteriorating homes, he can finally relax. The golden serpent finally shifted form into his human boy form and settled down to a nearby bonfire. ]

Enjoying the celebrations?

[welcome_summer]

[The puppy leaves off yawping at the barn owl long enough to sniff in the new person's direction. She's not the type to bolt over to strangers, but he does smell interesting.

Mayuko smiles and rearranges her spoils from the games to make more room.]

I am. The event is going well, aside from the disgruntled carnival workers sad that their rigged games are being defeated.

Accelerator | OTA

[levelshift]

A. Carnival - Open

[A carnival is only one small step up from a party, but Accelerator is finding he's about as enthusiastic for the former as he was for the latter. That is to say, he's disliking the Sunset Falls carnival just as much as that Halloween party Leo put on. If he hadn't gotten dragged out here there's no way he'd be found within several miles of the thing.

Too bad he knows a couple of turtles who are into this kind of thing. None of the rides interest him, a lot of the food looks bafflingly inedible, and he's certain all of the games are rigged for the player to lose. Sheesh, at this rate he's pretty sure he's going to die from oversocialization. Seriously, how do people do this?

He's chalking his grouchier than normal mood up to being surrounded by happy crowds of normal people who are having a normal fun time.

Maybe it's the normalcy that's getting to him? Whenever he's in those kinds of spaces the feeling of not belonging starts up, like nails on a chalkboard. It's raw and grating and nausea-inducing. Always a fun thing, being reminded of how rotten you are compared to everyone else. He should've just stayed in bed and suffered through getting hassled over being an antisocial shut-in later.

... Then again, it could be the stupid pendant. He didn't even want the damn thing but with it being foisted on everyone who attends he didn't really have a choice in taking it, and now not only are his own intrusive thoughts causing issues, he's got the emotions from any nearby Starfallen leaking into his brain. For someone who tries to keep a lid on his emotions most of the time, it's a lot.

He's radiating a hell of a lot of negativity as he finds a log to sit on, near a mostly empty bonfire with a can of soda.]

B. Closed to Donnie

[Accelerator is trailing behind Donnie at a much slower pace, barely even trying to keep up as they pass some carnival games - a ring toss, a duck pond, a water gun race. Basic games that are reasonably popular with the crowds. Most of them aren't even registering for him, though he does glance briefly at the water gun game.

This is tiring. He's very tired. He isn't sure how Donnie can stand it.]

This is a lot of bullshit. Why even bother playing something rigged?

[He knows he's being a killjoy and he feels a little bad for saying anything at all, but he isn't the kind of person who can fake enjoying something.]

b

[purplexing]

[Truthfully the extra addition of being able to sense other people's feelings is getting pretty overwhelming for Donnie. It's hard for him to process where his own start and end and another person's begins or overlaps.

To be fair, he'd been really excited to go to an actual festival and on the outside, it's cool and everything he'd expected and more. Some of the food is questionable but he's decided to be daring enough to try a few and hadn't been entirely disappointed. Just...sort of lost his feeling in his tongue for a few minutes because WOW spicy food is spicy.

Trying not to get too caught up in everyone else's emotions is exhausting, or rather trying to keep yourself apart from them. It's part of why he's stuck with Accelerator, shamelessly using the esper to ground himself even if it had been unintentional at first. But at least he knows where the bookends are on the feelings spectrum, and it helps him slightly manage his own, which unfortunately tend to bleed over between all the excitement from everyone else. There's lapses however, abrupt anxiety and something almost scared whenever he feels like he can't tell what's his, and in those moments he slows his pace, emotionally shrinking back as he drifts a little closer to Accelerator.

Stubbornly he continues, unsure whether it's just because of the general rush of adrenaline and eagerness that buffets him along. He's caught in the tide, the curiosity of 'but what's over there?' and 'there might be something cool just a bit farther'.

Donnie's laugh at Accelerator's question as they come by the booths at least sounds like normal as he pulls his hands from his hoodie and the squishy pineapple plush he'd been secretly crushing to death in his pocket. He throws his arms out to gesture towards the game booths with a lazy spin.]

Ah, but that is the challenge itself! You know it's rigged but then you tell yourself "I bet I can figure it out!" The desire to outsmart the gamemaster- to show them you can't be cheated!

[levelshift]

[Donnie's spikes of anxiety are hitting Accelerator every so often, enough that once he's figured out they're actually coming from the turtle he's wondering if they should both just give up. A stupid carnival (even if it is, technically, the first one he's ever been to) can't be worth this much effort.

But that's just his opinion, and he knows his opinion is always going to be the negative view on things. Normal people aren't complete and total downers all the time.

To the surprise of no one, he looks unimpressed at Donnie's explanation.]

Seems fucking pointless to me.

[Nevermind the fact that most things seem pointless to him. Minor detail.

He sighs.]

Anything around here you want to do?

[Might as well ask.]

( a )

[honeybadgerer]

Did someone die?

[ she's joining him by the campfire with zero regrets. ]

[levelshift]

[Accelerator isn't quite putting two and two together with Gabby's question, so he just looks confused.]

What the hell are you talking about?

A

[faceguy]

Aha, I found it! The epicenter of grumpiness.

[Unsurprisingly, Leo is absolutely radiating positive energy - he’s having a great time, helped by the influence of the Willow Maiden pushing his more negative memories aside. He’s got a shark plushie tucked under his arm from one of the prize booths and a big grin on his face as he walks up.]

Wanna make a s’more?

[levelshift]

[That's a good way of putting it, though Accelerator glares at Leo. Partly for the teasing, partly because of all of that positive energy is making him feel even more sour.]

Are you seriously asking me if I want to make one of those fucking sugar bombs?

[It's not like he doesn't eat sugary stuff (he is in fact drinking a very sugary soda right now). He's just being difficult.]

Ororo Munroe (Storm) / Marvel 616 / open

[agoddessonce]

[ Ororo wanders about the county fair with a muted sort of curiosity. It's not her first one ever - she feels like she'd been to one or two before, perhaps on a mission, or maybe someone (Maybe Remy? Perhaps Rogue?) had dragged her into visiting a similar affair, long ago. She touches the pendant hanging from her neck as the memories float unbidden, at the edge of her mind: of someone in her past showing her how they could share sticky funnel cakes, or how the games may have been rigged to be difficult, but not impossible, otherwise why would people keep trying to win? Whichever memory is shared, it has the same effect of getting her to eye things she wouldn't normally try on her own... So she's either lined up for some cakes that look like they may send her into sugar shock, or choosing between two game booths. There's a target practice one with what looks like water pistols and balloons, and then another that involved a test of strength - something about a hammer, and hitting a bell. Both draw a little smile from her. ]

... Do either of those appeal to you? [ Or perhaps the prizes were nice enough to win? Ororo was just feeling slightly competitive. ]

[ Later in the evening, she can be found flying up to the highest point of the Sunset Falls library. She just wants a higher vantage point, away from most people. Or maybe just somewhere quiet to study the crowd and the haze of energy that seems to float through the air. ]

[purplexing]

Oh, they have one of these at Albearto Land!

[Donnie's looking at the strength-based game, grinning a bit even as he tries not to feel homesick. Fleeting images from his own memories depict a smallish amusement park by a pier-side, featuring large animatronic bears dressed in old-fashioned carnival game costumes.]

Raph would win this thing easy. How hard can it be though? You're just swinging a hammer down to ring the bell thingy, right? I swing a giant hammer around all the time.

[Donnie, your hammer is rocket-powered.]

[agoddessonce]

[ The flashes of animatronic bears make her pause longer than should be normal, for a typical conversation. She has to clear her throat before she comes back to the present, blinking at the actual game in front of them. ]

Ah. Well - I assume they want players to use the hammer they have here. To be... fair, in a way. [ She doesn't sound convinced of this at all. ]

[honeybadgerer]

I mean, I wouldn't say no . . .

Get me the weirdest looking one? For Jonathan.

[faceguy]

[If the point of the festival is to get to know new people, then Leo doesn’t mind jumping in with this woman at the game booths. Particularly, he eyes the water pistol game.]

Oooh, we oughta try the target practice! Ranged combat isn’t really my thing, but how hard can it be?

[He’s not too shabby with a nerf gun.]

kyle rayner | dc comics | ota

[torchbearer]

[ kyle hasn't been to the carnival in years.

he's not sure why he bothered. maybe because he just needed to get out. stop moping. just be . . . normal. he could do that. he's still kyle rayner. he hits up one of those shooting game booths, trying to aim at some cartoonish look ducks and failing for the most part. he huffs, shrugging it off. ]

I have shit aim.

[ as jason always said. he's never been one for precision. he mills around the carnival, helping himself to some treats, while eyeing the zombie fingers. ]

Yeah, no. Don't eat that.

[ towards the end, when night comes near, kyle hits up one of the bonfires, listening to the stories quietly, a faint smile on his lips. when asked for one, he chuckles, shaking his head. ]

Sorry. All my stories are boring.

Shooting Games

[welcome_summer]

You're doing better than I am.

[Mayuko is accompanied by a reddish hound puppy on a leash... and a very transparent little girl gripping the leash with a pout. "She didn't hit ANY last time," she confides to Kyle in a stage whisper.]

It'll be different this time! Just watch.

[The woman hands over a few bills for the next round. Her billfold is much lighter than it was at the start of the night, but by heaven, she'll get a prize at one of them!]

treats!!

[purplexing]

[Donnie's a bit picky about what he eats so he takes such warnings to heart. But he does have to squint at the suspiciously finger-like things.]

What even are tho- ...oh no, are they really? Why.

shooting games

[reneger]

( kyle does have shit aim, but it's not as if he needs to be a sharpshooter to manage what he does.

jason, on the other hand, has plenty of experience hitting things from long distances. he presses in close behind kyle, reaches for the gun in his hand (doesn't hesitate to wrap his around kyle's, if he doesn't move his away), and aims it at the ducks. takes out a few with the nerf bullets--after readjusting his aim to account for the weight with the first shot.

no words yet. only duck murder. )

bonfires

[faceguy]

Ah, come on. You gotta have something fun to share. You’ve been a hero awhile, right?

[He’s gotta have something fun rattling around in there.]

bonfire | vine matchup

[agoddessonce]

[ Ororo had just wandered over to the bonfire, intent on just listening to stories from other worlds as well. But someone had scooted over to her side, and she ends up bumping up against Kyle. The willow vines choose to spring forth and wrap around their wrists right about then, and she gives him a dry look. ]

It seems we have no choice.

... But boring is fine, I think. That implies relative stability and safety. [ Which is more than she can say for her own life experiences. ] I will trade you a story for a story, and make sure mine is of the same caliber, how about that?

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth has mixed feelings about carnivals. He spent a solid two months trapped in one against his will, subject to the whims of a goddess. But it was also a time where he began to forge real connections. ...there are some definite similarities here.

He's not touching any cotton candy or Tunnels of Love, but he might win a few carnival game prizes and leave a less-than-grateful message for the Willow Maiden.

Is it the message that gets him in trouble? Who knows. But at some point he's passing a stranger and vines suddenly bind them together. His first instinct is to try to jerk free.]

[batinbelfry]

[Barbara loves carnivals as long as they aren't filled with crazy clowns who want to murder everyone she loves. She'd been enjoying this one with the boys for long enough that she decides to take a break and slips off to find some place a little quieter to sit, enjoy a coffee and perhaps a few pages of her latest book.

Who brings a book to a carnival? She does.

The vines come out of nowhere, and she's immediately looking around to see if Poison Ivy had shown up without anyone noticing. It's a Gotham City habit.

She doesn't pull back when her fellow captive tries to break free.]

I have a knife if you think that might help?

[As the pulling doesn't seem to be doing anything to the vines.]

feelings share – loki.

[avatarfortruth]

Well. This is interesting.

[ She's talking about the vine wrapped around her wrist. It coils through the air and around the wrist of the man nearby – Loki, wasn't it? the mayor? – and seems in no hurry to let go.

Not quite like the lasso, but perhaps not wholly different; there's certainly no way of breaking it, even though they both hold immense power. She looks up at him, lifts one shoulder in a shrug. ]

I suppose we ought to walk together for a while, then.

[dothelokimotion]

[ he sighs. ]

It's always one thing after another.