【fallen stars vs TREE】

[berriah]

Punch A Tree Log

SHRINES LORE DROP LOCATIONS FAQ NPC CONTACT MAY MINGLE MAID WEEK CLAIMS LIST

❤

A Twisted Rumor

It's the day after the Fallen Star Meeting regarding the recent rumor. As morning brightens the city's night, stories are making their way from the bottom level to the top.

"The cherry blossom tree isn't going to hurt us, is it? It looks so scary."

For those who have learned the truth about rumors, this may especially distressing to hear. There's no time to wait: If anything is going to be done to save the tree's spirit, it must be done now.

The current plan is to address the tree spirit's wish to be remembered and acknowledged by holding a picnic by the lonely cherry blossom tree. Fallen Stars hope to reenact the lively Reblooming parties that had been happening on the upper levels all month. This tree, though the origin of that tradition, exists at the bottom level of Starsand City: Where spirits and kami are still feared. The hope is that this party will soothe the raging spirit and bring it peace... and, ideally, bring back all of the people who have recently gone missing.

But the meeting also ended on a note of caution. If the spirit will not peacefully give up the missing people, then more drastic measures may need to be taken. And... Spoiler alert, but this log is titled tree FIGHT.

Timeline of Events

This log will operate a bit different from normal! It's also an experiment, so if it doesn't work then apologies in advanced! In order to maintain an easy-to-follow timeline of events, there will be a top-level for each stage of the encounter. As the encounter progresses, new top-levels will be added to reflect each stage of the Rumor.

Character top-levels are still welcome, but please try to use the top-levels for time sensitive threads. Threadjacking is welcomed & encouraged, though please be respectful of one another. And of course, make use of the feedback section!

Backtagging is also still welcome. Event stages will be staggered over the course of the next week & past threads still have time to make an impact. Please don't feel rushed!

!

Timeline of Toplevels

OOC Check-In - There will be IC consequences for participating!

Feedback - Yell at me

Questions - Ask questions, Get Answers

---

The Night Before - For preparation during the night.

The Morning Of - For preparations before heading out for the picnic.

Hanami on the First Level - The picnic that was planned at the meeting.

A Shift in Tone - Reacting to the battle start.

Battle Guidelines

• Battle A - VS Tree Spirit
  
• Battle B - VS Bread
  
• Battle C - VS ???
  
• Battles D - VS Lost Spirits
  

Aftermath - Victory Party!

code

Comments

OOC Check-In

[berriah]

There will be minor consequences & potentially rewards for characters who show up for the hanami picnic! Please make my life easier and check your character in here.

Re: OOC Check-In

[veileddreamer]

Tau is here doing her best.

[protectshope]

Madoka Kaname, checking in!

[fallmushrooms]

Velda's here, have an awkward witch.

[nightwild]

Fauna... helping?

[goldspecktacles]

Leo checking in!

[melancholie]

Dimitri checking in.

[aupologizes]

Hanyuu is here, ready for consequences.

[naturalgreed]

Echidna is showing up uninvited. It's fine, probably.

Re: OOC Check-In

[marshmallowpurgatory]

Pidonus Marasia, checking in!

Re: OOC Check-In

[notquitedracula]

Soma will be wandering through with sake and cups, for those who wish to do this thing in traditional style.

[cuethemasong]

Arata will be serving some yakisoba to people! It's pretty normal, but good.

Feedback

[berriah]

We're trying something new, so please be vocal about whether or not it's working.

Questions & Answers

[berriah]

Any questions about the prompts, event, etc. that would make roleplaying easier for you!

[aupologizes]

OH BOY.

Trying to get to these before I pass out.

- Okay, I'm asking this one because it may or may not be relevant in a fight: how much Starling is too much Starling and what effects would happen by eating too much. Asking for Hanyuu, specifically. Also can Hanyuu summon the onigari-no-ryuuou? (I probably won't use it for This Specific Fight but just for my reference.)
- Echidna both 1) has magic 2) is the Witch of Greed so like, information is kind of in her jurisdiction and 3) has actually created spirits from scratch so she'd probably be able to notice it but is there anything that she would sense with the shift coming from the following sources:

The tree itself

The goo

Any outside source that outside of the above.
I'm talking about both magical and spiritual shifts, here.
- Also for prompt D, when the people rise is there anything to be sensed there as well? Like, are the familiar faces pinging anything re: their souls?
- And for prompt D: are there any commonalities on anything that they whisper out?

STAGE ONE: the night before

[berriah]

s t a g e /// O N E

After the meeting, Fallen Stars are left to return to their homes and get a good night's rest. For those that are still antsy, there is plenty that needs to be done in order for the hanami picnic to be a success. Posters will be drawn and put around town to encourage civilians to participate. And in order to accommodate a large crowd of picnic goers, a lot of food is going to need to be prepared.

Fortunately, Team Hanami does have a base of operations. The cafe where the meeting was held is currently unused, due to its owner having gone missing. There is not only a kitchen and ingredients for food, but there is plenty of room to work on art projects.

The cafe will remain open to Fallen Stars all night.

[veileddreamer]

[As much as Tau doesn't like large crowds, she also didn't want to be alone in her room before everything. So she brought as many of her sketchbooks and art supplies as she could to the cafe. They're all spread out over the table she's claimed, but in piles specifically for each thing. She gets to work, determinedly sketching small versions of possible poster ideas. She has to make the best one. If she makes the best one, then everyone will come by, and she'll have her family back. Even though she seems very engrossed her art and thoughts, she notices when someone stops by her table.]

...Can I help you? Or...Do you wish to help me?

STAGE TWO: the morning of

[berriah]

s t a g e /// T W O

When morning comes, the Starsand City is oddly quiet. The weather is mild and clear of clouds, just as the streets are clear of people. People are nervous about leaving their homes and without no reason: The number of disappearances has only increased over night. The empty streets make the gathering of Fallen Stars in front of the cafe stick out that much more.

There may still be some tasks to complete before everyone heads out. Posters still need to be hung up, food needs to be prepped, and picnic baskets need to be packed. Throughout the early morning, curious civilians will pop by the cafe and investigate the posters. But they shy away without asking any questions.

[veileddreamer]

One:

[Tau has gathered up a large stack of posters, enough to make it hard to comfortably carry, but there's still pleanty more. She wasn't used to putting forth this much work. Omichron and Mikale owe her one when they get back. When she sees someone else entering the cafe, she speaks up.]

Excuse me...Would you be willing to help me up up posters?

Two:

[Tau is handing out left over posters to anyone braving the streets. It made her uncomfortable being out when everything was unnaturally still for her city, but she wasn't about to give up. Even when people pass her by, she just tries to chase them down.]

Excuse me. Sir, there is a party...Sir...Come to the-

[And he's gone. This was frustrating.]

He could've at least taken one...

[She shook her head, and glared around, to find her new target.]

STAGE THREE: hanami

[berriah]

s t a g e /// T H R E E

Traveling to the lowest level takes a long time. A combination of winding staircases and glass elevators can be utilized to gradually reach the spirit fearing Level One. The city on the bottom level has the same skies as the upper levels, despite after four levels of city built over it. Buildings down here are not as colourful or jeweled as the ones Fallen Stars may have grown accustomed to. There are no shrines on the street corners, no colourful spirits wandering about, and generally no traces of magic.

It's quiet here too, with an odd stillness in the air. The cherry blossom tree in question can be found in the center of a city park, where all of the other plant life has died overnight. Even those without spiritual sensitivity will be able to hear the tree's spirit sobbing. Black goo seeps from the bark and blossoms continue to gather in its branches.

The place chosen for hanami will be marked out with colourful blankets and loaded baskets of food. Though the tree cries and seeps goo, none of the icky black substance will reach the blankets. It seems to be gathering right at the edge and building up, as if there is an invisible glass barrier around the tree. As the picnic goes on, this sparkly sludge continues to inch up the barrier as if it is trying to climb over the top. It will not reach the top, even after the trail extends six feet up.

Reaching the tree itself is still possible. The goo will very slowly trail anyone who steps beyond the invisible barrier. It does not seem threatening, but more curious: Like it wants to be a part of the party and to investigate the people who brave the barrier.

[veileddreamer]

One:

[It was awkward to party with a sobbing tree being the focus, but Tau was nothing if not great at ignoring reality. She had good food, and a sketchbook, and that was all she would pretend she would need. Though, part of this was socializing wasn't it?]

So...Uhm...Do you have hanami in your world? Or...Uhm...What kind of things..did you celebrate?

Two:

[Tau has taken to sketching the groups of people at the party, and maybe some of the food and the tree too. Pretty much anything or anyone that has caught her interest. She never asked for permission, because she wanted to get a vibe not a pose. As she wanted new subjects, she would go from blanket to blanket.]

Do you mind...If I join you...for a little bit?

Three:
[After awhile Tau was as curious about the black goo as it seemed to be about the party. She turns from the goo to the nearest person.]

I wonder if they're hungry...

[That's about all the invitation to either join or stop her that she gives, before grabbing a couple cookies from the basket, and heading into the barrier. She would kneel down near the goo and hold out a cookie to it, keeping the other with the intent to eat along side of it.]

Here you go...It is important to...share with each other...

STAGE FOUR: the shift

[berriah]

s t a g e /// F O U R

The hanami viewing seems to be going well. With every hour that passes, more and more civilians are showing up to watch the unraveling events. Some stand on the sidelines and watch with concern, while others begin gathering on the empty picnic blankets. They still seem shy of the Fallen Stars, but people from the bottom and top level alike have begun to gather for the picnic. Some of them hold posters that told them to come, some bring their own baskets, and many of them fondly talk about the tree that started the reblooming tradition. The conversations wistfully twist to the same thought, over and over again:

"How could we forget about the tree that started it all?"

The sobbing of the spirit begins to quiet. Its bloom-filled branches, which tower to the sky like cumulus clouds, emit a warm, pink glow. For a few minutes around noon, the bleeding tree gives off a somehow happy aura. Watching over the people of the city one last time, it begins to shed the many petals it had artificially gathered. As the petals fall, Fallen Stars will briefly see a memory play through their minds like a daydream: It's one of the early hanami parties, from before the world knew about spirits. The tree's spirit warmly watches the people holding picnics, thinking in a mature voice; "I was happy to love this city."

... Until the peace is abruptly snapped. Those sensitive to spirits and magic will feel it first: A strong pulse of magic expands from the tree trunk. The spirit can be heard screaming apologies for having such a selfish wish, repeating over and over that they only wanted to love the city's people one more time. They don't want to hurt people-- Please, don't let them hurt people!

The petals turn into the black goo and rain down on the area surrounding the tree. The picnickers within the barrier will see them splash on an invisible roof, but those who are too close to the tree will feel the acidic rain lightly burn their skin. As the goo runs out of the tree, it leaves a dying husk behind. And gradually, the goo begins to take monstrous forms--

A familiar voice can be fainting heard under the cacophony of agonizing screams: "Remember my warning."

---

This is a reaction post for everything going to shit. There are different top-levels for the battles themselves. When engaging the tree in battle, please use one of the battle top-levels so that I can keep track of everything!

[melancholie]

[Dimitri had worried that it might come to this. And in a world of faith, he wonders if that means his doubt is partially responsible for this outcome. Did they not try hard enough? Or was this inevitable, faith or not?

His head is still ringing from the pulse of power when he sees the goo rain from the sky. It's like the canopy of blossoms is a popped balloon and it has disgusting consequences. At least the barrier is holding up, though who knows how long that can last.

Wincing, he tries to get a look at the rest of the 'team' that was formed.]

Is everyone alright?!

STAGE FIVE: can you beat a tree in battle??

[berriah]

s t a g e /// F I V E

Below are the battle threads! They are all occurring simultaneously, so please only have your character participate in one of them. You may play multiple characters across multiple battles.

Battles A, B, and C will be open to 4 fighters each. The monster will respond every 2-4 replies, depending on pacing/reactions. If more than 4 fighters accidentally end up in the same fight then that's fine too.

Posting order will be NPC - PLAYERS - NPC. In order to keep the thread moving the players will not be restricted to a reply order.

Battles D are 1on1 battles and non-combative responses. I reply more swiftly here.

Battle A: VS Tree Spirit

Battle B: VS the consequence of your actions

Battle C: VS something ? ? ??

Battle D: 1on1 fights!

BATTLE A: The Weeping Spirit (cw: horrific imagry)

[ai_nnihilate]

b a t t l e / A

The most obvious foe in the park is likely the tree. Or rather, the physical form of the spirit who resided there. They take the glowing form of a woman with long, flowing hair and jet black eyes. Black petals fall from their hollow eyes like tears and the black dress they wear is made of the goo that seeps out of the tree. The dress keeps their torso and lower body melded to the tree, though they seem to be trying desperately to pull away. They reach long, twig-length fingers out towards the picnickers and scream agonizingly, the sound no longer human. The tree's black roots lift out of the dirt and flail around. Every time they hit the invisible barrier, it begins to crack and splinter. It's only a matter of time before its roots can bypass the barrier and attack the civilians who have gathered.

Amidst all of the chaos, a conflicted voice cries out within the minds of those present:

"I don't want to hurt them! Don't let me hurt them!"

"How could you leave me? Why did you let it come to this?!"

"This isn't what I wished for!"

[veileddreamer]

[Tau was one of the first ones on their feet, being able to sense the moment something went wrong. She was hoping it wouldn't wind up in a fight, but now that it has, the first thing to do is to try and give the civilians time to get away.]

[She raised her hands in front of her and focused on creating ropes of light to come out of the ground and bind the roots so that they couldn't hit the barrier.]

BATTLE B: b is for THE BREAD YOU THREW WTF GUYS

[ai_nnihilate]

b a t t l e / B

For those of you looking for a less horrific battle to fight, you're in luck. Some lovely ladies had thrown bread over the barrier and it was consumed by a spirit. Unfortunately, the combination of the goo and the picnic has turned that bread into a shrine. The spirit who was desperate enough to claim that shrine has also been caught up in the Rumor. It was a short lived victory on their part.

The spirit monster who rises from the goo is a glorified loaf of bread, with six bready legs and a lettuce tail. Its face is pressed against the flat surface of the loaf. Before you can get too excited about an easy win, the bread monster notices something on the ground: A piece of Starling, which a civilian has tossed as an offering to the tree. The spirit absorbs the candy. More eyes open all around the loaf and it extends a long tongue from its mouth, sweeping said tongue across the picnic blankets and pulling food into its flatbread mouth.

"Picnics are fun... Picnics are fun, they're so fun! I want more. I want to picnic with you forever too! I don't want to go back to being nothing!"

Please, don't feed the goo next time.

[fallmushrooms]

You know, I don't think wanting a party to last forever is ever actually literal.

[Velda flies around, holding onto her rickety broom with one hand and pointing at the food with her wand with the other. She gives a short incantation, and a pile of cookies launches at the monster one by one.]

Eat this! Oh, that's not literal either.

BATTLE C: a challenger appears (cw: horrific imagry)

[ai_nnihilate]

b a t t l e / C

The final threat of major importance is not the tree spirit or angry gluten, but a form made entirely of goo. It looks almost human with a head, torso, arms, and legs, and yet... It absolutely cannot be human. Its back is crooked, its arms are different lengths, and its wide mouth curls at the edges. Wide, white eyes are twisted with amusement as it chatters in a haunting, echoingly voice:

"Come here, come here. You have a wish to be granted too, don't you? Don't you want to be happy?"

Something about the way it cackles and sounds so sarcastic suggests that you should not trust this thing. Around it, a flurry of spirits begins to gather. Their lights dim when they get close and they drop into the goo, rising as the monsters in Battle D.

[nightwild]

[Fauna stares at the strange monster in front of her. A haunting, echoing voice... A wish...

She can almost see her own figure, four years ago, kneeling to accept the wish.

But now, she's stronger. She lifts her right hand high into the air, holding a strange disc in it, her left holding the device she always wears at her hip...]

Happy? Like there's anything you could do to make me happy.

Wild Change!

[She slams the disc into the slot in the top of the device, and light dims around her. Rather than a transformation, it seems more like the way your eyes adjust when the sun dips below the horizon, revealing everything looking different in night's light.

Where Fauna stood, now there stands a figure in broken armor.]

Come, monster, I'll burn you away to nothing!

BATTLES D: fallen fireflies

[ai_nnihilate]

b a t t l e / D

Spirits who were attracted by the goo monster's offer fall into the remaining puddles of goo. When they rise, they have human forms. Some of them may look like the people who had gone missing. Others are unrecognizable monsters. But all of them are clearly made of the goo and their eyes are replaced with spirit orbs. Whispering sounds can be heard when they're approached, some excited and some scared. If you get too close, they lash out with violence.

---

This prompt is for 1on1 fights! You may also auto-pilot these spirits if you and a thread partner want to team up! Please indicate in the comment title if you want me to play your opponent with: "NPC PLZ!"

[mothornly]

[ Yor is admittedly late to all of this, but that's fine. With a lot of the upper level streets being empty, she eventually finds herself here regardless.

And seeing this.

It's definitely on an entirely different level than what she's used to, even in her assassinations.

But she winds up getting a little too close, and while the lashing out is met with violence, Yor isn't exactly... well, the type to just get hit so easily, as she quickly not only manages to dodge, but also hits them in very, uh. Particular places to knock them out.

But they are made of goo, so that might have been a bad idea? Send help. ]

AFTERMATH

[ai_nnihilate]

post-battles

The battle ends in a burst of pink magic and floral scents. Once blackened by oozing goo, the cherry blossom trees suddenly turns into marble and then explodes into cherry blossoms. Magic thickly coats the air, blossoms obscure vision, and peace returns to the park.

As the blossoms begin to settle, it is possible to see what remains of the cherry blossom... A stump of white wood rests in the middle of the park. In the center is a tiny sapling, which will rapidly grow over the course of the next year. Blossoms begin piling up in the shape of people and turn into those who had disappeared. They're confused, saying they feel like they just woke from a dream, and unharmed. Most of these people will gradually return to the upper levels to reunite with loved ones, but many will stay for the picnics.

Because yes. The picnics continue.

Civilians have arrived with their own picnic baskets, encouraged by the posters that Fallen Stars put up and wanting to apologize to the cherry blossom spirit. They lay out new blankets and baskets, encouraging tired Fallen Stars to rest and eat. Petals will fall throughout the night and into dawn, with the picnic party beginning to fizzle out after sunrise.
All the while, the kami of Love's power will remain thick in the air. It encourages healing and calm, lending to a peaceful atmosphere. The rest of the party will pass by peacefully. For Fallen Stars who are tired and need to immediately go to bed, lodgings will be provided at the Kami of Love's shrine. For those who wish to party or nap at the picnic, they'll find that civilians eagerly provide for them and offer many thanks. This is a miracle and they can't even begin to express their gratitude.

... You did it! You saved the spirit!

She can be found at the sapling, where she is a weak little glow of pink light. Weak, but free.

This thread can be used for reunions, recovery, and general partying.

[fallmushrooms]

[Velda looks around in awe at the civilians approaching, the rescued reappearing. She walks through the falling flowers, starry-eyed, and if anyone comes up to her happily, she'll just kind of freeze, smile, and babble.]

Oh, uh, thanks! I mean, no problem! I'm just glad everyone's safe, and to be honest, everyone being nice all of a sudden is all we really need... I mean, thank you?

[You can also just find her sitting on one of the picnic blankets, nervously looking at the food provided.]

This is free for everyone, right?

[ai_nnihilate]

final notes

Thank you for participating in our first crazy event!

Backtagging battles is welcome until June 5th! If you missed the fights and would like to participate, please start one here! As long as battles start by June 5th, you can get IC consequences.

Please feel free to leave feedback over here!

I hope this first fight helped establish some themes & gives you plenty of mystery to investigate in June~!