metalogs | HARVEST MOON

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( gross, pda.

jason doesn't complain though. he doesn't move away from it either, even if it's still a little hesitant to lean into it. )

Can't promise I won't do it again. If you wanna stay with B, I--get it.

Then don't promise me anything.

What do you want, Jason?

( barbara had asked him the same thing earlier. told him he deserves to be happy, to have a life outside of the red hood. jason's tired of building himself up, of finding things, just to lose it all again. he used to call kyle out for being--well, himself, but the older jason gets, the more he lets himself become attached and watches it all fall apart again, the more he realizes kyle being a stubborn asshole who refuses to close himself off just because the world keeps crumbling around him just shows how much stronger he is. jason may be able to kick his ass in a fist fight, but kyle knows what strings to pull to leave jason here: standing in the middle of a crowded festival, kyle's hands on his face, being very visibly together in a way that would usually fuck jason over not because he's ashamed but because it's--a visible weakness, showing one of the only damned people in the world he'll let get this close to him without intending to pull their innards out.

a hand moves, fingers wrapping around kyle's wrist to hold onto him. pulls it over a little, so he can use their wrists to block his mouth from being visible. another habit ingrained into him through years of being surrounded by stalkers and lipreaders. )

I want to make promises and keep 'em. I want to be happy, it's just--it's been almost an entire decade since I died. I've had fake IDs, there was a stunt I'd pulled in Gotham that didn't go anywhere, 've been to a few family brunches--but. Hell. There wasn't much point to hiding my face from Gotham's shittiest 'cause outside of Red Hood, I didn't exist. 's not an excuse. But I'm. . . working on figuring out how to be someone outside of a goddamn mask, 'cause I want it. Even if it makes everything harder.

Then fight for it.

[ gently, not moving away. ]

I'll be here.

[ as much as he can be. he's starting to feel weaker as kyle. the strands are slipping through his fingers. the dark is ready to swallow him up. it's only waiting. ]

Call me out on my bullshit. ( now he meets kyle's gaze. jason's steadier. his mouth's twisted into a scowl, but it's the one that's always there when he isn't being snarky - not the angry one. ) I won't disappear on you 'cause of you. If you piss me off that badly, you'll know.

( jason leans forward. presses their foreheads together. )

I like that you've never tolerated me being an idiot. Fight for me, even if sometimes that means fighting me 'cause I'm a jackass. An' I'll fight for you, even if it means I gotta suckerpunch a god that's also you.

Asshole.

[ but it's said fondly as he leans into jason. ]

I was coming to get you, you know. I just got sidetracked a bit.

You shouldn't need to.

( but he's giving a soft sigh under his breath. wraps his good arm around kyle. )

Thanks.

[ he's back. kyle feels more settled already. ]

I've got you.

I've got you.

( though he--takes a step back, even if he's raising a hand up to thread fingers through the hair at the nape of kyle's neck. )

When I'm not being an idiot.

[ he leans into the touch. ]

Then I won't hold back next time.

Yeah.

( jason doesn't want him to hold back. he wants kyle to come after him, to yell at him, to tell him he's being an idiot, to throw him back when he tries to take off, because jason--he knows it's not the best plan, he just freaks out, gets scared, doesn't want to watch everything fall apart and the only solution he can think of is to leave before it can. kyle's better than that. and sometimes--sometimes, jason wants to take off and have his space. but sometimes, he really, really wants someone to chase after him. )

And you owe me dinner, asshole.

I know. I'll make something better.

( maybe. for now, he's - bumping his shoulder against kyle's own, then heading away from the shooting booth. he didn't come here for the festival, he drove out here because he knew kyle was out this way. )

HARVEST MOON

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