metalogs | HARVEST MOON

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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.

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[He does feel a little bad for being such a killjoy, but not enough to actually stop.

That, or he isn't sure he could muster up the effort to stop. He isn't totally certain which one it is, and he figures it's the former because it's the worse option.

He's going to just start walking, looking for somewhere that isn't crowded with people.]

... Maybe you should go find Leonardo or something. [Yanno, be around someone who isn't complete garbage and actually wants to be at a carnival.]

[The less people they have to be around, the more apparent Accelerator's suffering is. Maybe suffering is too dramatic a term, but it's pretty clear how much the esper isn't enjoying things, and even if there is a little guilt for it, Donnie can't really argue about not wanting to put effort into something you really had no care for. It just makes him feel guiltier in turn, and whatever excitement he'd had about enjoying the busy, crowded festival grounds just starts to peter out.]

Oh. Yeah, I guess. Maybe eventually.

[He'd hate to be a downer if he went looking for Leo now, but right now Donnie's feeling a bit miserable. His hands have retreated into his hoodie pockets again, fingers curling around the ever-squishy pineapple hiding there.]

Sorry for dragging you out here. I didn't think it would be too bad...

[Crawling into a hole to be alone with his awful feelings seems pretty appealing right now. At least getting away from the crowds helps. A little.

Though it also makes Donnie's anxiety more apparent. Woof. This sucks.]

I should've just said no. I knew I wasn't going to enjoy any of this.

[He's just being masochistic and - for what reason? Some weird sense of obligation to two of the only people who tolerate him? Is that it? It isn't something a kind person would do, so he supposes that must be it.]

Well...next time you can pick what we can all do then, that you know you'll enjoy.

[Because it's pretty clear that they have very different ideas of it, and even more clear how much Accelerator really dislikes being around this many people.]

Ugh, these pendant things are the worst- who's bright idea was it to want to get in touch with other people's feelings?!

[His anxiousness slingshots right into angry irritation, and he looks about ready to just grab the thing and chuck it as far as he can. His hand closes around it, but that's about as far as Donnie goes, feeling abruptly dampened by the conflicting sensations. He drags out a sigh, letting it go to thrust his hand back into his pocket again.]

.....

[He doesn't have to do that. He's going to do his very best so Donnie doesn't do that.

Sighing, he shakes his head. At least Donnie's anger is slightly more comfortable, if only because he's very used to that kind of emotion.]

No fucking idea. I want to strangle them.

[It's still simmering, an uphill battle to hang on to and probably only manageable because of Accelerator's own consistent mood.]

If we leave the festival grounds they won't make us keep wearing these, right? We have to return them?

[A regular person might consider this stewing and that it isn't healthy. Accelerator would tell that person to fuck off.]

I think so. There's no way they want us keeping these shitty things.

[Well, Donnie's far from regular so Accelerator's.... Probably not in the best of company but at least he's with someone who more or less understands how he's feeling.]

Okay then. So we take a break and leave. Get our bearings, and then eventually I'll dip back in for Leo and you can wait outside.

[He considers Donnie's suggestion for a few moments, then nods.]

That's... not a bad plan.

[Better than sticking around and being miserable, right? He waves his free hand, turning down another path between more games and some rides.]

The exit was this way.

Scoff, of course it's not a bad plan.

[Agreed! It seems pretty pointless to Donnie if they both try to stick it out just to suffer. Either way, he figures everything will be fine once they don't have to directly deal with other people's emotions.

He lets Accelerator lead the way.]

I mean, you could've said something really dumb. Like "let's try and tough it out," or "find the people insisting we take the stupid necklaces and really fuck them up."

[He's actually speeding up a little.]

... Though I guess that second one isn't that dumb, when I think about it.

Pff, and keep tormenting the both of us? Hard pass. But as much as a bit of violence doesn't seem completely unfounded, I doubt that it would be taken kindly to considering that these things are meant to keep the peace and offer some connection with that goddess for whatever reason.

...I don't know about you but I'm kind of tired of all this deity interference though.

[Peace sucks.]

I'm an atheist. I've never wanted any gods in my life.

Aaand yet here we are with them suddenly all on our cases just because we exist.

...there's some irony in that.

[He sighs, a fresh wave of exhaustion for an entirely different reason seeping through that emotional connection.]

Anyway, just glad that whole mess is over with.

[Urgh, it's true and he doesn't want to spend the energy thinking about it. Especially not when he's hit with Donnie's exhaustion. He's tired a lot of the time, so it's familiar, but it makes his own more pronounced.]

If it is.

[He doesn't believe for a second that it is. His turn to sigh!]

I need a goddamn nap.

[There's a slight grimace there, a spike of bitterness tempered in a strange range of emotions from fear to anger to tired victory. Briefly the face of a woman might come through as that last moment pops up in Donnie's mind, the memory always so fresh; haloed in divine light through his goggles, rage and shock in her face as he-

He shakes the memory off, squeezing his eyes shut before he sighs again, letting his shoulders sag.]

Ugh, yeah. Nap sounds great. Unless that's all coming from you. I can't tell anymore.

[That's... quite an unusual mix of emotions, especially coming from Donnie. Accelerator pauses, glancing over.]

It's probably me. [He's saying that absently, staring.] What was that?

[That particular blend hadn't been the most fun. Donnie blinks at the esper.]

-what was what?

Those - [Ugh, maybe he should drop it. It's feelings, those are personal, and he's terrible at talking about them.

He's a little reluctant as he continues.]

... That was a lot of fucking confusing emotions. That was from you, right?

O-oh. Yeah.

[Another small wave of annoyance at the connection.]

Sorry that slipped. I just thought about that last fight.

Ah. [Right. Makes sense, given their conversation.] It didn't go great for you, I'm guessing.

Could have been better but could have been so much worse. I...guess I kind of bit off a bit more than I could chew, but then Leo came, and this lady- Storm? I think?

...

But I did it.

[He's still not quite sure how he feels about that. It's a confusing knot in itself.]

[Accelerator inclines his head a little. He has no idea who this 'Storm' person is - but then, he's the least social person ever, so that isn't surprising.]

You don't sound happy about that.

[To be fair, Donnie hadn't known who she was either until then, but he's certainly not denying how cool she was and how fortunate they'd been to have her help clear out clones.

Accelerator's observation however makes him flinch a little.]

...I'm not sure what to feel. It...was a lot. And I know the lady we were fighting wasn't exactly the Shining God herself but she was still part of her then, and if we didn't do anything then I don't know what would have happened.

Not going to lie here, it felt good to finish it. [To take down a god, even just part of one? He's sure that must have just been some power high, and it had been exhausting in general, but it's been long enough now and he still can't pick apart those feelings. He hasn't tried terribly hard though, feelings are more Mikey's domain.]

[His features remain steady, even when Donnie flinches. His focus had been on Kathryn rather than the Shining God and her avatar, so he hadn't been paying any attention to what happened there.]

It must've been. If the Shining God had been allowed to go through with her fucking plans we would've all been screwed.

[So... Donnie should at least feel good he did something about that.]

Anyone would think you're a hero for taking her on.

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