May Event Log

[recollecters]

EVENT

RISE AND SHINE Spring is upon the city of Recollé now. The rainy season is starting to pass and the last of the winter chill has officially shaken off. The weather is perfectly spring-like with flowers blooming all over the city and the local wildlife rousing from their hiding places. People everywhere find themselves awakening to the sound of birds tweeting and the sun shining peacefully on them as they're drawn from the world of dreaming. Too bad that's about where the peace ends today. I. It’s a leisurely morning when you first wake up. The sun’s rising and peeking in through the curtains of your room, birds are chirping happily, and you find yourself drowning in your sheets with the floor much, much further down than you recall. Wait, what? You don’t think that you’ve shrunken at all. After all, your clothing still fits perfectly fine. The trouble with it all is that all of your furniture has enlarged several times its usual size and the walls tower over you more than before. Getting ready for your day is going to be a challenge, but the outside world can’t be that bad, can it? Think again. Buildings skyrocket dozens of stories higher than they originally were. The button for the crosswalk dangles over your head tauntingly. The tires for your school bus are coming dangerously close as you try to cross the street. Be careful out there! Is there a safe path to avoid further incidents? As the days go on, citizens will find that if they look down a series of lit-up circles appear under their feet. Stepping on one will cause the Retrospec app to open, and a song will begin to play. How long will this go on? Unfortunately, Retrospec seems to be working just fine and will autoloop until your path of lights meets someone new. After all, isn't social media about bringing people together? Best get to exploring and seeing what’s out there…or, maybe, who’s out there. II. Speaking of exploring, it's much easier to see the wear and tear of the city at this size. With everything much larger you may notice that everything about your nice city isn't quite so nice. Cracks in the sidewalk present a hazard when walking everywhere and there are fractures in the buildings themselves. You may wish to avoid them entirely for your own safety. But for the more curious residents (or anyone accidentally finding themselves falling into these cracks) a venture into these spaces will reveal something a little mysterious. Swirls of black float through space, occasionally punctuated by flashes of images and words. Presented almost like a movie, you may not be able to pinpoint what exactly you’re seeing but it seems to be calling your name to draw you further in. At first, the interior space in these cracks seems to expand and the images become clear. It’s…space? No. It’s stars, lots of stars and there’s a rumbling sound that seems to echo through the cracks along with voices becoming more persistent as they cry out for help. The swirls and mist become thicker with each step. Will you turn back? Or will you press on and risk getting lost in the echoes of voices you don't recognize and images you can't identify? Those who turn back will find themselves on another path of light, resetting their device and urging them onwards to find someone new. Those who continue forward though and wish to seek the truth will find themselves assaulted either with a whirlwind of memories they’ve already obtained since they’ve received the Retrospec app or blacked out by the darkness as the mist becomes impenetrable. How will you find your way back? It may be wise to work together on this one to retrace your steps. III. Despite the fact the city's experiencing some sizing issues, responsibilities are still important and these problems won't stop your boss from demanding you show up to work on time. Did you get lost on your way to school? What a bummer that this is the day your professors spring a pop quiz on you. The challenges of every day life are even more challenging and as per usual, many people don't even realize there's something wrong. Though your pencil may be taller than you are, you won't be allotted extra time to write things down. Even worse, navigating past shopping carts and down grocery aisles is nearly impossible, especially in larger, more crowded places like Freshens. Outside isn't much better. Beginning on the fifth of May, clouds begin to loom overhead as the rainy season reminds citizens it's not over yet. All around you critters begin to jump into action to prepare for the inevitable storm. From this level of the ground it's easier to see ants hard at work hauling items 30 times their body weight. That caterpillar might be good for hitching a ride back home. Watch out for the furry four-legged beast running your way! Speaking of beasts...well. Just because you're no longer your original size doesn't mean your furry and feathered friends won't be. Maybe you're lucky enough to have a companion you can hitch a ride with. Or maybe you aren't so lucky after all. Your pets may like you just fine, but other people's pets and even the insects will give in to their animal instincts, prone to chasing and sometimes outright attacking citizens (Retrospec users and non-Retrospec users alike.) Can you fight? Guess you'll have to find out. Oh, and you better hurry...the rain that begins later in the afternoon is most unforgiving. At this size? It's quite easy to be swept away in a flood. IV. Do you hear that? Everything seems to be amplified now and with the rain pounding down around you for the next five days the echoes are even louder. This time, however, the words are much more distinguishable. Above the din of a hauntingly beautiful song, you may find yourself being coaxed to come out into the Apprassage Woods, whispered promises of your most sacred desire filling your ears. Perhaps it's irrational, like scoring well on college entrance exams. Perhaps it's something much bigger like seeing a loved one again long after their passing. Whatever it may be, the song is almost overpowering and tempting. Along the way, bright, towering flowers serve as a guiding light deeper and deeper into the woods. The further you travel, the louder they echo those desires back at you, even louder than the song itself. Strangely, for those who have been gifted with a supernatural sense or the ability to see ghosts, you may find that there are figments flickering through the trees encouraging you onward. You want their help, don't you? There are ways to break out of the song's trance, but it will take teamwork and effort to ground each other back to reality. It seems as though the rain itself may very well be the culprit. Will you seek to find shelter? Maybe you're lucky and happen to have a pair of ear plugs in your pocket. Do your best to guide each other home. The woods aren't very friendly after dark even with the fluorescent glow of the flowers. BONUS. The nice thing about being pint-sized is that it's much easier to go where you probably shouldn't. Should you find yourself back in Tisse and in front of the Retrospec building, you may notice it's much easier to slip under the cracks of the front door. Several of you may have been in this lobby before. Like usual, the lights are on. At this size, however, it's easier to hear the echoes of footsteps somewhere above you. But don't worry about them. Being this size means that it's more possible now to enter some the previously locked rooms. Some rooms don't have enough space to crawl under, of course, but the two rooms that do will reveal something quite interesting. There isn't much in the way of furniture in these two rooms, but every inch of the walls and ceiling remains covered in maps. Not all of these maps are blank. Some of them appear to have small splashes of color varying in size and shape, like an incomplete picture. Some of them also appear to have images on them, such as a Chocobo, or an apple with a smileyface, or a strange die. Furthermore, after the fifth of May, citizens may notice one of the maps now has a picture of those strange glowing flowers from the woods. Should anyone be ambitious enough to count in these two rooms (though really, that will certainly take time), they will come to find that there are roughly 110 maps in all. And with a little digging, they can explore and attempt to open drawers and closets in these rooms. Together, they will discover there are an additional 30 maps, including one with a picture of a strange-looking doll. So you want to learn more about these maps, huh? For anyone who tries to draw or write on the maps, they will find that whatever they deface the maps with stays there! However, the moment you exit the room anything you drew on the map will appear on any surface of your skin that's available. Tearing the maps doesn't seem to work either. The maps can only be removed from the wall in one whole piece. If one were to take a map from the rooms, they would only be able to get to the doorway before it dissolves into ash and creates a miniature dust storm for everyone nearby. Strangely, the map will reappear on the wall and the cycle will repeat itself for days on end. The maps really, really don't like being touched. What does this all mean? What a great question. Welcome to recolle's May event! All characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available and be as creative as you'd like. As another note, by participating in this log in a thread with five or more comments from you with a character you have not tagged previously, you are eligible for one free memory regain! This means you can claim a memory without a trigger required; we ask that it be low-impact for newer characters, while characters who have been here longer can scale upwards. However please be sure to submit this regain to the regains page and just specify "May Freebie" in the explanation portion of the form. Please see our monthly plotting post for more details. If you would like to explore parts of the city in their enlarged state, please contact the mod team so we can get you a write-up of what your characters may or may not find! This also goes for if your character has regained any supernatural sensing and you'd like for them to interact with the figments in the woods! Starting on 5/5, the Echo Flower from Undertale will act as your newest world change! Once the event wraps 5/10, the echoing of desires will stop and they will return to providing white noise and echoing the last thing they heard. These flowers will only remain in the woods. Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here.

Comments

MOD QUESTIONS

[recollecters]

Please use this comment for any mod questions you have regarding this event. Thank you!

[longwei2go]

I saw in the plurk that item regains are shrunk to the character's scale too, but does that include animals that are regained as pets or other magical companions? Asking for a character who wants to ride a battle corgi around.

[thesettingsun]

[A - 5/3, RU campus]
[Shuji thinks he's still dreaming when his bed seems way bigger than usual. Then he falls out of bed and holy shit that hurts way too much for it to be a dream.

Okay. Okay, breathe. Okay, calm down, everything is huge and that shouldn't be possible and it's terrifying but just breathe for a second, Shuji. Maybe he's hallucinating? Or maybe it's just his dorm room that's gotten bigger and all he needs is to get outside for things to seem sort of normal again. That's definitely what will happen, he'll be able to calm down when he sees the outside.

...Things are not normal when he gets outside.

Shuji still in his pajamas and full-on sobbing outside the dormitories is getting weird looks from the other students who are up, but no one has stopped to talk to him yet. What a weirdo, what's his problem?]

[B - 5/4 through 5/5, RU classrooms]
[Suddenly shrinking should absolutely count as a reason for an excused absence, but emailing his teachers with that didn't help any, so Shuji guesses he still has to go to class. Somehow.

At least he lives on campus, so it's possible to walk there, even if it takes forever. And thank god this building is wheelchair-friendly - there's no way he could climb up stairs.

But after all that walking, he usually ends up passed out right after he makes it to class. Is that even considered attending...?

He's still sleeping and class is over. Maybe you should nudge him. Or maybe it's even time for the next class in this room to start and he's still napping.]

[C - 5/6 through 5/10, around Recolle]
[The walking thing is getting him great exercise, but obviously not working out for him actually learning things in class even when he makes it there. He's going to have to try other ways of getting around.

Shuji is not incredibly good with animals, and this hasn't changed. Even when it seems like that's his best hope for not screwing up his sleep schedule more than he already has, it takes all his courage to even try to approach the giant insects.

He doesn't actually manage to ride any of them. What he does manage to do is hide from ants, beetles, worms, ladybugs, and anything that so much as looks funny at him. If you find him quivering in terror somewhere, he'll hold up a finger to his lips.]

Shhh!

[He nods his head at the animal that, previously to this, would have been totally harmless to him.]

[Wildcard]
[Hit me with anything.]

C

[prometheanflame]

["Are you alright" is the automatic response when running into a worried person on the street, but in this case the answer to that question is obvious. Mohammed takes a quick look at whatever Shuji is stealing peeks at - a beetle - and calmly walks behind the leaf he's hiding.]

Do you need any help? [That's better. Somewhat casual, he hopes. Beetles aren't as scary as other insects after Iggy briefly turned into one.] We should get out of here sooner than later.

[skald]

a. - sometime in the first few days
[Anyone walking the long route between the apartments and the university campus may see an RC car swerve dangerously close to them before screeching to a halt.] Sorry! [Tuuri says with a sheepish smile, over the edge of the controller taped precariously to the front of the car. The car looks a little unbalanced, and Tuuri is not actually licensed to drive, but hey, you gotta get around somehow.] Need a lift?

[The only problem is that she might have forgotten to fully charge the car before taking it out. Hopefully the battery doesn’t give out, say, in the middle of crossing this parking lot, or while passing that picnic table with the wasps’ nest built under the bench. Or maybe the battery lasts for the entire trip, but Tuuri still manages to stall the car trying to avoid one of those cracks in the sidewalk-- it's hard maneuvering this thing, okay?]

b. - may 5
[Okay, so. Driving didn't work out so well, and now it's going to start raining. Great. The weather is cooperating for the moment, but it looks like it could pour any second now, and Tuuri's found herself staring at a puddle, a few inches deep, blocking her way out of the crosswalk. And not a clean puddle; it's a little smelly, a little oily, and definitely has a few pieces of trash floating in it. It is also perfectly positioned so that she can't avoid it-- any part of the street that isn't flooded has a curb as tall as she is. The alternative is walking another block and then doubling back, but the sky could open up any moment...]

I swear if I make it inside before it rains I'm never going to go outside again.

c.
[And true to her word, Tuuri decides to stay in the university library once the rain really starts. She can attempt to study, there are enormous couches to curl up on, and once she figures out how to get money into the vending machine, she'll have enough food for days. Everything should be perfect... until she drifts too close to a window and stops to listen for a while. By the time anyone passes by, she's gone from sitting on the windowsill to trying to press her ear up against the glass; she pulls back only to call down] Do you hear that? It's so pretty!

wildcard! - hit me up with anything tbh

A

[heiroglyphs]

[Vera's jaw nearly drops off her face when she sees Tuuri drive up. It really is amazing how creative people can get in the face of adversity.]

Oh shit, you can drive that thing?! I need to get to the toy store.

[They sell RC Ferrari's, right?]

[crudest]

[ III : THANK YOU FOR FLYING AIR PEACOCK ]

[Maybe you were at a cafe, a class, or any general area where you can find a clean platform and some type of paper. This some type of paper is just as flexible, whether it's a newspaper clipping, a napkin, some notes lying around, but Baren's adaptable.

It takes a while - longer than he'd like - but through some ingenuity, he makes a paper airplane. He stands at the front end of it and tilts his head, crossing his arms, then moving forward to make slight adjustments to the wings of the plane, folding them in a way that he expects to catch more air. Anyone who knows something about aerodynamics will find Baren's calculations.... remarkably sound.

When he catches your eye, he'll offer an easy-going grin.]

Can I help you?

[take me by the hand, magic flying man]

[ III B : YOU WISH THIS WAS A BOOZE CRUISE ]

[Did you get caught in the rain somehow? That's shit luck, man. Baren's managed to get crafty again, stuck in a neatly concave-shaped leaf that he's shifting around in to make sure that water doesn't get inside, but at least he's not stuck stationary. The jingle of his bells ring as he whips his damp hair out of his face - he's probably still pretty, what a fucker - and he catches sight of you, stranded somewhere?

It's automatic when he reaches a hand out wordlessly.

Please don't point it out.]

[ PHASE IV : A MOMMA'S BOY ]

[Baren's poker face is practically legendary. He's convinced people that leprechauns are real and not even blinked when people angry with him have spat in his face. He's hard to faze.

But the flowers have to say one thing:] You just want to keep your sister happy, don't you? Give her all the love that Mom never showed?

[And that's it. He's frozen still for two seconds.

Then he's pulling out his lighter and flicking it open, flame burning as he tosses it at the taunting flower. It doesn't catch fire. It's too damp for that.

He still frowns and goes to collect his lighter, scoffing under his breath.]

I fuckin' hate nature.

[ WILDCARD ! ]

[ If you want to plot anything separately with me, hmu up at evergrace! ]

IIIB

[thesettingsun]

[Literally anyone could have extended their hand to Shuji and he would have taken it rather than stay stuck here. He doesn't even process who he's looking at until he's in the leaf, and about to thank his rescuer.

oh my god he touched baren kaiyou's hand]

B-Baren Kaiyou?

[constellates]

[ II : CURIOSITY DID WHAT TO THE CAT ? ]

[Did you really expect Anya to be able to resist the stars?

Her eyes sparkle in a way that they shouldn't when she's found something dangerous, but curiosity drives her forward. There's whisperings of her name - one of many whether it's Anya, Nastya, Nastenka, Anastasia - and she keeps walking, fingers automatically reaching out to observe the spots of light and the swirling black.

Someone should've taught this girl a better sense of caution. Still, she hums out her curiosity as if she can speak out to the black specks:]

Bсем привет? Hello? Mm... [She tries a last one:] こんにちは?

Звезда...? Are you stars?

[There's doubt laced in her voice - but something of a thrill there, too. Oh dear. She doesn't seem to care to stop.

Also - what is she wearing?]

[ WILDCARD ! ]

[ If you want to plot anything separately with me, hmu up at evergrace! ]

ii

[disaccordant]

[yeah what the hell are you wearing anya

... is kind of what Brett's thinking, but there are more pressing concerns.]

I don't think you should be touching those things.

[parodeity]

i. may 3rd: meet-and-greet (locked to first-come-first-serve "someone new" so if you've never threaded with dave fingerguns)

[ the world changes, or dave shrinks, or whatever the fuck it is that happens, and dave's reaction is mostly to be tired as hell. it's testing the limits of his "well, whatever, this may as well happen" motto, even though that motto is at times more forced than natural. a very large part of him simply wants to go the fuck back to sleep once he wakes up in a gigantic bed that stretches on for far too long, with a drop off the side that's slightly worrying. however, his parents and at least one of his siblings don't seem to see anything strange with the new state of things, so...

when in doubt, just go with the flow, even if you hate it, right?

getting around is more than a bit harder, but dave's at least faster on his feet than he used to be. still, even he's going to get tired if he tries to dash the entire way across the city to school...so he's not too worried if he doesn't get there. more importantly? pretty quickly after leaving his home he steps on a red circle of light without paying attention. and the music starts. he tries to get off the circle-lit path, but since the circles seem to follow his feet - no matter how fancy his footwork, and you can see dave try to dodge off the lit path too quick to track with the naked eye - he eventually gives up, sighs, and listens to the tunes.

he also eventually starts aimlessly following the circles until his red-circle trail clashes with the circle trail of Someone New. he looks up, shades firmly in place and hands shoved into his jeans pockets, and raises his eyebrows. ]

So, what do you think? Should we be worried about ghosts? Because I'm kinda thinkin' we should be worried about ghosts, with the bgm. [ which is from his phone, although it stops autolooping the second their circles hit, so that's nice. ] It's really too bad the theme never give you like a legit telephone number, not that it'd work, but maybe it would work because rule of stupid?

ii. may 3rd: this is stupid

[ you know what. life is stupid and so is whatever this is, and who knows if it'll ever reverse - but there's a music shop in tisse that dave goes to sometimes and they let people play the piano, and his mom gets sheet music from there, among other things. sometimes he's st at the bench and played whatever came to mind while waiting for her out of boredom.

today, he's standing at the base of the bench foot, and eyeing the climb.

dave's been tired and kind of closed off of late, but the grin he gives whoever is nearby is open and careless for the moment, and not a bit affected. ]

Hey, wanna have some fun? I think I can teach you a dance that'll play us a tune. [ if he has to be tiny and have all this nonsense go on, he is going to at least have one delightful memory to boot, okay. and that means shenanigans and not caring about anything else for at least five minutes. ]

iii. may 4th: errands are a pain in the ass

[ so. freshens. yeah. normally dave is more than happy to grab shit for his mom from the store but it has become significantly harder given how the day is going so when he's sent out for milk he...

well, he can be found on the edge of one of the cooler sections where the milk is kept, balanced without seeming to think about it and a -

yeah he has a sword in his hand, what the fuck dave. ]

...Do you think I can like...drain some by slicin' a hole in like the top into a more, uh, normal sized container? And like pay for the whole thing but.

[ #UNSURE and yet he can't go home until he completes this task. he makes a slicing motion with the sword while he talks, to kind of demonstrate his idea here. he has a bucket?

this is not a well thought out plan but he can't figure out how to carry the jug so uh. ]

iv. may 4th: swirls prompt

[ dave strider is a damn idiot. it's supposed to be a shortcut, maybe, or it's maybe a whim, but either way when he finds his way to a crack where swirls of infinite black and the flickers of space are there, present and daunting, he doesn't run away. when he hears voices he half-remembers or knows better than his own he stops cold and keeps moving, more quickly, even though common sense says it's a trick and he shouldn't. he doesn't have it in him to ignore these voices, or any cry for help, really.

so he pressed on into the mist until he can't see anything and he can't move after some hard to determine amount of time (ten minutes forty-five seconds twenty-three milliseconds - the count springs to mind unbidden, and suddenly he doesn't know how he didn't know before) because they all slam back. every memory he's gotten back, the ridiculously inane and impossible to understand and the things he's been trying to desperately hard not to think about. it's hard to breathe and it's a sharp pain in his chest but his expression doesn't falter even as he takes a shuddering breath.

okay. okay, that happened. that's happening. he's on the roof, both of them, he's lying in the snow, he's on the planet where it's so hot, nearly too hot to breathe easy - dave's fingers flex, and he nearly reaches for his phone, but he doesn't quite.

he tilts his head to the side instead, alerted by some small sound. ]

...Hello? [ he can't see a thing, even when he peers over the tops of his shades for a second, but his voice is as calm and even as he can make it - which is pretty damn steady, actually, and without any visual hints to give away any unease it might be comforting to some. ]

v. may 5th: spiders kinda suck

[ like. not that spiders aren't super great when they're eating insects, but since they're currently big enough to, uh, cause problems for people - well, while it's perfectly all right to jump into a Bug Battle at dave's side (lmk and i can write up a thing or you can do whatever), it's also easy to find him post any number of altercations he couldn't quite avoid, sword in one hand and looking mildly put out every time. he's good despite not being overly thrilled about it. dave moves too fast to see, and he's had more than enough time to master that, and he clearly knows how to use the sword; he clearly has used it for his entire life - only he hasn't, it just feels that way these days.

he'll generally clean the sword after every battle.

it's not always a battle, though - at one point he has to clean spiderweb off the blade, because he cut down a web. he looks kind of apologetic about it, but - ]

Normally it'd be chill, but, uh, are we sure these things won't attack kids? Because...

[ because it's apprassage near the kindergarden and too close to the sidewalk and yeah. ]

vi. bonus: mapocity

[ while i will happily play out getting into retrospec with you and throw me a random starter if you wanna, once inside the map room, dave is eyeing the map with the apple with the smileyface in particular. ]

Do you think if we just -

[ he makes a mimed gesture for drawing. ]

Like, colored over it. It'd go back to normal?

wildcard

[ alternately, please feel free to write something of your own for me if none of those work, and i'll roll with it! i'm also happy to write up special starters for people if you drop me a note on my plotting comment to hash something out! i would absolutely be thrilled to work out any explorations or shenanigans with absolutely anyone, so please feel free to hit me up if nothing here works for you. ]

iii

[splinten]

Hey.

[It's fine, it's just death. He thought that would be all that would really get to him and he could push past him, but it isn't all. There's the candy-coloured nightmare and somehow that's what hits worst. Dying was fine, it hurt but he almost didn't care then with the adrenaline with the purpose but the nightmare gets into him and it makes him want to throw up, it makes him want to just lay down here, die.

Dirk contacted Dave and Roxy earlier to be sure they were okay and he's been pretty obnoxious trying to make them keep him updated since but it took him a day to get the hang of having Evie ride him around and when he came barrelling down the street, looking for Dave, he saw his brother slip into a crack. So he followed, even though he's slipped into one before. He followed even knowing that the sick and miserable feeling would come back.

He followed because his brother was going to get hurt.]

Don't worry, I've got Evie waitin' outside the crack. Like, that's assumin' she doesn't wander off after a ball, but I'm pretty sure she's gotten the message to stay.

[chiseler]

II

[Oh for fucks sake. This is just about as stupid as everything else out here and for a while Luke's fine pretending everything is normal. It's not hard at first, seeing how he goes about his business and pretends Everything Is Fine. If people around him can do it, well, so can he. He's calm enough as he heads down the sidewalk, rolling an orange with him (and making sure it stays as face-down as possible) to bring back to the bar.

Which, really, is all fine and good until he comes to a hill. This wasn't a challenge when he was his normal size, but pushing the orange uphill is a struggle even with as fit as he is. How unfortunate that the first drop of rain chooses then to fall and startles him. He jumps, losing grip on the orange…and it begins to roll downhill.

He can still move fast enough, but not enough to outrun a rampant orange and for anyone who happens to be in the way he'll grab onto your arm and tug you into one of the cracks of the sidewalk.]

Trust me, this is way better!

[Is it? Because now you're both stuck down here and he seems to belatedly realize that before he frowns up toward the crack above his head.] All right. So maybe not.

III

[He still has to make a living somehow, you know? He's at the bar and business is still, surprisingly, booming. For those of you employed at Cabin 11, Luke fully expects all the help he can get trying to serve drinks and fill orders.

How is anyone getting anything done? It's a true mystery. Have you come in to get out of the rain? He'll dive behind the counter and come up with a small umbrella.]

Probably won't help that much, but it's better than nothing? We've got duct tape if you wanna reinforce it.

[Or maybe you're outside as well. Having to take the trash out piece by piece bites, but it has to be done and Luke's slowly figuring out how to make this work. The difference now is that one may notice that after hearing rumors of the crazy bugs and animals outside, Luke's equipped himself with a four-foot sword seemingly made of steel and some sort of strangely glowing bronze? Is it glowing? Hard to say.

Maybe it's a little #extra to carry it with him, but he's not taking any chances. That's probably for the best, too, seeing how he doesn't get far before a rat crawls out from the dumpster, baring its teeth at him. It's purely reactionary that Luke draws his sword and swings, not even thinking about it. And yet. A portal opens the moment the sword cuts through the air and he finds himself off-balanced, tumbling face-first through said-portal with his sword.

Where does he end up? Well, that depends. You may wind up with a wet, angry blond holding a sharp weapon in your vicinity sooner than you think. How'd that happen?]

Wildcard

[Hit me with a wildcard for any of the prompts, any of our plans we talked about, or etc! My plotting comment is here and I'm open to p much anything including fight threads + threads for prompt IV.]

Closed to Annabeth

[chiseler]

[With the weirdness of the city happening, Luke had insisted on walking Annabeth to their parents' home, sword strapped to his back again and hands in his pockets. Everything seems to be fine for the most part until he finds himself distracted with a text message. It only takes a moment for him to glance down at the screen and look back up to find Annabeth heading straight for the woods, and he furrows his eyebrows together as he works to catch up to her.

How did she move so fast?]

'Beth, home's that way.

[zerotohiro]

I.

[You know. It was already hard enough being a young college student. It was also already hard enough to be a short fifteen year old boy. Did they have to go and make this worse? It was an Effort rolling out of his bed that morning and even after yelling and waving his hands at his brother he found that he was the only one in their household that thought it was strange.

It's not until he's out of the apartment in Birch Hills that things get a little interesting. The spot of light appears underfoot, but…he's fairly used to tuning things out. The song doesn't bother him as he begins to follow the path, staring more at the dots and his phone rather than where he's going. Does your path meet his? Does he happen to crash right into you because he isn't paying attention? Or are you going to be the one to tell him to figure out how to turn off the music? Good luck. He doesn't have classes until later in the afternoon so he's got time.]

II
[After a while he decides it's better to get a second look at everything. As far as he can tell, everyone's shrunken down which does make him feel better. On the other hand, now he has to wonder why.

Scientifically, this makes zero sense. He can be found through the days exploring cracks and buildings, writing notes on his phone and shining the flashlight app into dark crevices.

However, if you happen to be on campus you might find him near the library staring at a fairly large crack in the bricks, easily large enough to slip through.]

…how far do you think it goes?

III

[The ants go marching one by one hurrah, hurrah, and they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain. For those of you who happen to be in Tisse today, you'll find a line of ants marching down the sidewalk heading straight for a small ant hill just outside of Comic Corner. What is that sad, high-pitched squeaking noise? Is that the ants slipping on water?

Nah. That's Hiro yelling and trying to roll off of the ants who seem to be doing a good job keeping him up on their backs and carrying him straight to their anthill.]

A little help here?! [And then there's a kick to one of the ant's heads:] Put me down!

[…helping is optional, but he would certainly appreciate it.]

IV

[Hiro likes to wander alone, and one day after school his wandering leads him right to the woods. Like usual, he doesn't quite hear the song but its effects are strong still as he follows it right into the woods. Not too deep, of course, seeing how he finds himself distracted by the new, gigantic flowers. Anyone who enters the woods will find him not far off the well-worn path, sitting in the rain with his hood up and staring straight up at the flower. Get close enough, and one may hear:]

I don't understand though. [And the flower reverberates the words right back. Perhaps you should both get out of the rain. This is a bit much.]

Wildcard

[Hit me with anything from any of the prompts, any plans we talked about, or the bonus! My plotting comment is here and I'm open to anything!]

closed to Levy

[zerotohiro]

[The rain's been pouring for hours by the time closing hours roll around. He's managed to wedge himself into a corner to peer out the window, bird-Max playing with what appear to be Hiro's housekeys on the floor by the register. It's with a heavy sigh that he turns to look at his co-worker, ignoring his giant cockatoo for the moment before weighing his decisions on how to remove himself from the window ledge.]

How're we supposed to get home in this?

[batches]

( i. )

[ This is absolutely the worst. Is it because Frank can't make breakfast without having to stand on a chair and phone book like a child? No. Is it because he can't even drive his car to get around? No. Is it because he might have a giant husky who literally won't Chill? Yes. That's exactly it. ]

[ Walking a dog that completely towers over you is absolutely the worst. You have to worry about being crushed but also, you have to worry about her running off to greet new tiny people and aggressively knock them down with her nose to start sniffing them and licking them and this is absolutely the worst. You may be just minding your own business when this dog-apocalypse happens to you. ]

[ Don't worry, Frank is running right behind the giant doge to try and stop her. ]

Jellybean! Down!

( iii. )

[ Frank has some experience in fighting off giant bugs and by experience, that means he punched a wasp in the face. Yeah. It was pretty rad. But Frank's not the type of guy just fight to protect himself and then head straight home. Nope, he's actually the opposite and if anyone's being attacked and crush by a giant worm or whatnot, this Marine will rush in there and kick it away. ]

Get... off!

( wild card. )

[ Everything else for Frank! My plurk is northpaws for anyone who wants to plot or have some specific threads! PMs also work too! ]

III

[mincingminuet]

[Penelope Raban isn't exactly the sort of person who likes getting into fights. It's really not her thing, especially not when the pistol she'd inherited from her father is far too large to use. however, there is one thing she's picked up lately that's the right size: that weird spear that'd turned up thanks to Retrospec Inc. So you bet your behind she's carried that with her everywhere she does, in it's weird collapsed form that is, hoping to not have to use it.

Unfortunately for her, she's currently being assailed by a cockroach or three that have decided she might be an easy mark. So the sight that Frank's going to run across is of his sister holding a weapon in her tiny hands, fighting.]

Frank! Careful!

[heiroglyphs]

IA - For Victoria
[And she had such a good night sleep too. She was dreaming that she could fly, and she leaped into the sky to get away from all of her problems. Except when she wakes up, she's still in the air, looking over what now looks like a hundred-foot drop onto her bedroom floor.

She screams, flinging herself back onto the bed and grabbing a large bunch of her blanket for support. When she went to sleep, she could have kicked this blanket off her without even thinking about it. Now, it would take every muscle in her body to move it at all. At least it made for a good anchor.]

What the fuck happened to my room?!

IB - Network
Please tell me I'm not the only one who woke up in Crazy Giant Town this morning? I practically had to go mountain climbing in order to take a shower in my sink.

Fuck this city. Fuck Retrospec. Fuck being so small.

III
[This. Is. Bullshit.

Not only did it take her ages to get to class because she's too small to drive her car, but there's a test today? And no one cares about being so tiny? She's standing on her desk, for god's sake. The pencil is bigger than she is, and she's supposed to take a test with this?

After class isn't much better, as the all-white heiress walks away half-black from pencil smudges. Who knew erasing things would be so difficult when your eraser weighs half as much as you do.

Well, she's already here, so she'll just make her way to the library to see if she can do... something? She just needs an excuse to not walk the hours-long hike back home.]

IV
[What is that music? It's so pretty that it's gotten stuck in her head. She's been doing her best to tune it out, but when she gets near the forest, it becomes almost too much to bear. Fulfill her desires? Like it would be that easy. Some song in the woods is going to show her the ways of achieving perfection? Ways to make her family recognize her? Make her not feel either like a walking embarrassment or a walking ATM? She feels stupid just thinking about it.

So... why is she walking into the forest anyway?]

Bonus
[Come at me!]

III

[glaciers]

[He's at the entrance of the library as he realizes at his current height there's no way he's going to manage to:

a. open the doors.
b. hit the button to open the doors.]

They could've at least shrunk everything else.

OTA!

[strawberrypunch]

[A - 5/3]

[There is a large black rabbit hopping along behind him as he walks, looking mildly confused at... well, everything. Apparently he sleeps in a t-shirt and sweatpants, because given the size of the rest of his clothes, he didn't really have a whole lot in the way of options.

Come say hi? Go forth on Charcoal to have great adventures? Because either way his phone's going off with that spoopy 8bit music, and it's only going to stop if you meet up with him.]

[B - 5/4, city streets]

[Yeah he hasn't even bothered to attend classes, instead checking around the city instead. Charcoal, loyal bun that he is, accompanies him all the while... Even though at the moment, Tatsuma's attention seems to have been caught by something in particular.

Actually, he seems oddly transfixed on that crack in the wall, paused mid-step at first before he turns fully and starts to walk for it. Charcoal gives a few uneasy snuffles, uncertain about following him in. But perhaps he's not the only curious one...?]

[C - 5/5, Woods]

[The rain had left even him reluctant, and after a fun little adventure in corralling a much-larger rabbit back into its cage, Tatsuma thinks it may be the best option to simply stay home. But then the voices get louder and louder, and...

Once again,he finds himself walking outside, trying to take cover under anything available along the way - plants, eaves, whatever. It takes quite a while thanks to his size, but sure enough, he eventually reaches the woods, steps hesitating for only a second upon seeing it ahead before he takes the plunge and begins to walk once more.

If he could just get one more of those visions... If he could just find out what happened to that girl, then...]

[Wildcard]

[DO AS YOU WILL I would also be up for tackling the bonus from 5/6 onward!]

A

[thesettingsun]

[Curiosity has led Shuji to following the glowing circle path. It's enough to get him headed into the great unknown, even with how frightening this all is.

When he turns a corner and sees a rabbit bigger than he is (and also some guy I guess), curiosity is not enough to keep him from squeaking in terror and turning back around the corner. Tatsuma can still hear him talking to himself.]

Oh god oh god oh god-

[Not that he's saying anything interesting.]

[cattack]

[I: Recolle University and nearby]

[Cleo is a small woman at the best of times, but this is a bit much, even for her. A few quick texts to confirm that this is real, and that no one else notices, has her quite alarmed, but she soon dresses herself and manages to leave.

Her destination is simple. She's heading to the Recolle University to meet with anyone she knows, but she can't head straight there. Oh no, first she's patrolling the area, covering simply as much ground as she can, looking for anyone who might be in over their head.]

Do you need an escort? Please, allow me.

[Anyone who seems like they might need help, or is just out alone, will get her up bothering them to try to keep them safe.]

[II: ???]

[Cleo is a very determined and driven woman, and she can't turn her back on someone who needs help. So the more the voices call, the further she'll press, never even thinking of turning back.

On the other hand, blacking out in the darkness leaves her lying on the pavement near the Recolle Police Department. That... probably isn't where she should be.]

[III: Recolle University and surrounding areas.]

[Following up with her earlier patrols, she doesn't seem to care that it looks like rain. Rather, she's trying to help people still with the more aggressive wildlife, and escorting people around to wherever they need to be. She wasn't actually getting many takers, until she got in a fistfight with a praying mantis in front of the University. Now lots of people want her help. If she's cutting class to do this... Well, this is more important than classes, right?

Maybe you want to see her try to fight every giant insect, or maybe you do need to get somewhere? She'll be looking to escort around anyone who needs help, but she doesn't seem to have given any thought to the imminent rainstorm.]

[IV: Apprassage Woods]

[Why the hell would Cleo venture out alone? But the song was enough to prompt her investigation, but the whispered desires... All it tells her is 'upholding justice', but that's all she wants. That's her biggest desire. It's dragging her in, with no resistance. She'll need help to break out of it.]

II

[redarm]

[Noah was just passing by the police department on his way home when he sees this passed out woman. That's very concerning. So he comes over and kneels down to check on her. He looks like a normal kid, besides wearing a jacket and gloves despite the warm weather]

Hey! You okay?

[flowrite]

I - margaritaville

[Getting to work is hell. Getting to school is hell. Snuggling with his cats is excellent, but a brief interlude in an otherwise full schedule of hell. After a day or so, Fai discovers possibly the best part about being tiny:

Giant daiquiris.

He's holed up in a bar somewhere, nursing the largest, fluffiest, pinkest daiquiri you've ever seen in your life. And if it looks like he might drown in the glass? Well, there are worse ways to go. If he spots you he'll wave and grin, even if he doesn't know you, possibly already three sheets to the wind.]


III - creepy crawly things

[It's a fact--Fai can't fight for shit. He should have taken self defense lessons long ago, but he didn't, and would that really have mattered anyway when there's a spider looking at him like it wants him for dinner? And the monstrous arachnid is large enough to eat him whole?

He's caught on a bit of web attached to the metal arm of a park bench, trying in vain to rip himself away and run before he becomes spider lunch. It's not working. Please help.]


IV - o brother, where art thou?

[Music is in Fai's blood, whether he admits to it or not. Hiding his passion and talent for music doesn't stop it from thrumming through his veins, plucking at his core like the strings of a violin. Which is, coincidentally, his best instrument, the one he feels the most deeply, and the one he's hearing now from somewhere out in the woods.

Still, it's not just the music that draws him back out into this terrifyingly huge city. There's an ache in his chest, like someone's ripped out half of his heart.

It feels like the day his twin died.

The rain hides the tears on his cheeks as he drifts farther into the woods, lost to everything else around him. He's here. I have to see him again. I can't keep living without him, I'm not whole without him....]


wildcard;

[Throw something at me!]

III

[splinten]

[Fai's knight in shining armour: a teenager with a tiny, unbreakable katana slamming his sword through the web. Dirk may not have gotten his swordfighting skills back yet, but it doesn't take years of expert training to know how to whack a sharp stick at something. Hopefully, it's sharp enough to cut!

If not Dirk just fucked up his only weapon so that'd be awkward.]

[scythegun]

II.

[Recollé has always looked so nice. It's kind of a shame that it isn't as nice at a size like this. This entire situation is weirding Jaeger out, but the cracks in the buildings in Tisse have caught Jaeger's attention on his way to work today. (Never mind the fact that he's late to opening up his own store; it was a bit difficult to get out of bed this morning, you understand.) The building he's currently looking at is out on the street, so just about anyone passing by might catch sight of Jaeger just staring at the crack in the side for a moment before wandering inside it.

You're welcome to join him of course, or maybe stop him from venturing further inside. He seems a bit too curious about what's in there to turn back immediately, though.]

IV.

[Adventuring into the unknown is just a thing Jaeger does, apparently, because you can find him standing near the entrance to the woods. He's just sort of staring out like he's not sure whether or not he actually wants to go and for a brief moment his expression is actually serious.

If you're nearby though, he'll turn to you with the usual smile suddenly in place.]

My, they really are trying hard to get us to go out there, ja?

[His accent is very thick and obviously German, but despite the cheer in his voice and expression he doesn't seem to be entirely convinced to stay where he is. Maybe risking life and limb in the woods is worth it for the rewards.]

BONUS.

[Who keeps letting this man explore, someone should probably stop him. This time Jaeger's taken an interest in the Retrospec building and he's waltzed right in like he owns the place. He's never been here before, so he spends some time admiring everything before deciding to check out the rooms. That's where you can find him for quite some time, actually. He's climbed up onto a desk and he's sitting there studying the maps. His tiny size makes it a bit difficult to do much, but he's here for trying to read these maps. And maybe take pictures of them and jot some notes down in a notebook, just in case they're useful later.

If you enter the room at any point he'll look up and hold up a hand in greeting.]

Good afternoon! Do you think these are why our good friend Jim was telling us we should learn to read maps?

[It's a joke, but it's been on his mind since he first saw the maps. He clearly doesn't seem to care that he shouldn't be here.]

WILDCARD.

[Welcome to Leviathan's Claw! If you've stumbled on this strange curio store and for some reason decided to enter, you'll find Jaeger exploring his own store because everything's so much different at this size! If you're looking for a weird but (probably) safe place to take shelter from the rain or otherwise hide out in for awhile, you're welcome to explore with him! Anything you want you'll have to pay for and carry out yourself, though. Exploring is free, however!

...For now. If enough people want to explore he might start charging.]

( If you've got something specific you want to do you can hit me up on plurk at pokerap! )

wildcard

[thesettingsun]

[Shuji just wants to be out of the rain - it doesn't matter what door he slips under as long as he slips under one soon. He can't remember the layouts of the shops well anyway.

He looks like something the cat dragged in when he enters - hair soaked, clothes soaked, and not at all happy about it. He's dripping onto your floor, Jaeger, I'm sorry.]

Do you have a towel? Or a napkin? Or anything?

[glaciers]

I. 5/3

[Okay.

Okay, he could deal with a weird application on his phone, he can deal with some bizarre back shots of himself. He's an actor, he's seen weirder.

What he's not so sure he can deal with is being stuck tiny. He's outside of his house now and on the way to class but... He's so small and the path is so long and he's never going to make it in time. And for some reason some incessant song is playing over the app and he's three seconds away from punching something.]

... So this is the new normal.

IV. 5/6

[Something... something is calling out to him. It's impossible to ignore the strange song or the whispers of "become a hero" that seem to echo out over and over. The reasonable, logical side of him is overwhelmed by the siren song and he finds himself deeper in the woods before very long.

Those are strange flowers, but he only gives them a moment's notice as he walks even farther in.]

[biellmann]

That song is seriously annoying...

[ guess who else is being subjected to it, if only by virtue of crossing the street and ending up near him? Chiyuki. By the way, sprinting across that crosswalk in order to make it in time without getting hit by a car was extremely tiring, so her comment might sound a little bit saltier than necessary. ]

Could you wear headphones or something?

[testgasm]

I - oh, you know, around

[When fellow users of the Retrospec app casually mentioned reality-warping in their primer on the current strange happenings, Wheatley hadn’t expected something like this. It takes him a few moments after waking up to realize just what exactly is going on, but once he does there’s no small amount of yelling.

Prone to anxiety and panic on a good day, Wheatley doesn’t take this well. It’s a not insubstantial amount of time before he gets a grip, and then it takes him even longer to figure out how he’s supposed to get around. Eventually, however, he manages to muddle his way out of his apartment, for better or worse. He takes a deep breath. And.

Steps. Outside. From there, Wheatley proceeds like the smallest of missteps might kill him (they very well could!), inching across the sidewalk until he reaches the nearest curb and spots, well. You, probably.]

Oi! You there! God, that’s a relief—

[Wheatley’s pretty far away, all things considered—like, across the street far away, but he’s not about to pass up the opportunity for safety in numbers. He’s waving frantically, clearly a little desperate to get someone’s attention.]

Hi! Yes! Me, over here! I’m waving at you, I’m—that’s it! Across the street, standing here on this—on this giant curb, hello!

[Yes, he is waving at you—all ginger freckles, coke-bottle glasses, and plaid flannel. He seems very distressed.

Cross the street?
> Y
> N
> Hell no]

III - may 5th and on

a. [It’s probably no secret that Wheatley is a coward. Navigating this newfound hellscape, he spends much of his time hiding, recoiling, and giving himself away by being surprised at inopportune moments. He can’t say he has a particular affinity for animals, and he certainly doesn’t like it when they’re much larger than he is. Suffice to say, this is an experience he’d rather not be having at this moment.

You are fortunate (???) enough to be teamed up with him at this very moment, hiding around the leg of a park bench and watching a nearby squirrel do its thing. Wheatley has what appears to be a sharpened twig clutched tightly in both hands. The objective, clearly, is to get past it unnoticed, and he may or may not be thinking about how he’s going to use you as a distraction if things go south. All’s fair in love and war and reality-warping cellphone malware.]

Right, so. Here’s what I’m thinking. If we can—if we can manage to throw something, you know, make some noise in a location that is not where we are right now, then we can, ah. Perhaps get its attention, lure it off somewhere else. Then we make a run for it. Sounds like—does that sound like a plan, to you?

b. [The rain is a little easier to deal with, if only because it’s predictable. It’s going to fall from the sky, it’s going to make everything wet, and death by drowning is very different than being eaten alive by someone’s unruly chihuahua. Wheatley likes to think he’s better at the rain than he is at animals.

Still, that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and getting from point A to point B presents its own set of hazards, not the least of which is the risk of being all but washed away by the sheer size of the raindrops.]

Here, grab on. I’ve got—I’ve got you.

[If you’re struggling in the water, here’s this guy with an outstretched hand. Surely he knows what he’s doing and doesn’t look like he’ll blow over in a slight breeze and this won’t end in disaster at all, right? Right.]

Bonus

[Until the application mysteriously downloaded itself onto his phone a few days ago, Wheatley’d never had reason to go to the Retrospec building. Now, however, it seems entirely prudent to do so, if only because they’re clearly behind these horrific shenanigans. Maybe you’re looking for a partner to sneak in? Wheatley seems to like safety in numbers, quick to latch himself onto whoever might look like they know what they’re doing.

Once inside the facility, the maps seem to be the most obvious place to start, though he really isn’t sure what he’s supposed to be looking for. Good thing he likes voicing his thoughts out loud to the nearest person (that’s you)!]

What do you—what do you suppose this is?

[It’s not a map of anything he’s seen before, that’s for certain.]

I was sort of joking about the aliens, but, uh. Starting to wonder, a little bit.

wildcard

(I will do whatever you want. Here is my plotting comment, or you can hit me up on plurk at whitticus.)

1!!!

[destiny_key]

[It takes Sora a long moment to notice the guy waving frantically from across the street, which is saying something because Wheatley is making quite the racket. Then again, they're all like five inches tall, so maybe it's not just Sora's innate obliviousness.

As soon as he sees him, though, he waves back, if not nearly as enthusiastically.]

Ahoy!

[...This is no way to hold a conversation. Sora's gonna go ahead and cross the street to see if he can help this poor distressed man.]

[alienates]

ii

Oh my god now I wish that roach just killed me so I wouldn't have to deal with this absurdity.

[ it's not said to anyone in particular. right now, he's mostly staring down into a crack that he dropped his hat in. he's debating going down there to get it, because now his horns are out on display and he still prefers to have them hidden. karkat is just staring very intently down there, weighing the pros and cons.

pro: he gets his hat back.
con: death, probably.

he glances up at whoever's closest to him. ]

How far down do you think that goes?

iv

[ like others, he really can't resist the sound of the flowers.

karkat has been going out of his way to not venture into the rain too much, because seriously he does not want to drown in what may be an even stupider death than via bug. and yet, he still finds himself in the woods, and he isn't even sure how that happened. he reaches over to touch one of the flowers, but then jerks his hand away before he actually touches it. ]

What the fuck is going on now? [ he sounds more angry than confused. ] I swear to god if this is some weird mindfuck, I'm-- wow I am threatening a plant. You are going crazy, Vantas.

[ seriously he does not need this. but he can't leave. ]

wildcard

[ please feel free to do any of the other prompts or just make something up!! i am open to all idea. ]

ii

[frilly]

[ Well those certainly are. Horns. Well, let's not point that out. We don't want to be rude. ]

A week ago, I would have said a couple feet. Today, I'm thinking all the way into the center of the Earth.

[scriptive]

i. may 3rd: meet-and-greet (locked to first-come-first-serve "someone new" so if you've never threaded with levy come @ me)

[ okay. okay, she can do this? this is a thing she can totally do. maybe. kind of. perhaps. levy isn't sure any of this is true - she doesn't have a guild full of confident crazy people to back her up and bolster her confidence - but she's not about to shy away from the world just because it's suddenly so much bigger than it used to be. maybe she should, since she currently is not a combatant in the least, but she won't.

the weird light show beneath her feet, though? it makes her squeak in surprise, before she hesitantly starts to follow it - although it doesn't seem to be leading anywhere?

eventually this devolves to literally hopping from the sidewalk to a patch of grass (well. into a Forest of grass, at her current even smaller size) and watching the circles of light go from dirt to cement over and over. ]

How is it doing that?

[ ...she's entirely distracted by this, isn't she. ]

ii. may 4th: swirly whirly

[ at the comic corner, there are lots of nooks and crannies, and there's sidewalk cracks in the front of the store, of course - and levy is crouched in front of one, knees on the pavement and paying no mind to the dirt as she leans over the edge, frowning a little into the darkness. ]

Hey...I think I saw something down there! [ a bug? no. she saw light - or something very dark. the opposite of light. she starts glancing around - ] How do I get down...? Oh! [ over there is kinda pitted, so. it'll be just like rock climbing! this is a terribad idea. BUT THERE SHE GOES TO START DOWN do you want to stop her or come with or? ]

iii. may 4th: comic corner competition?

[ it's not exactly unusual for levy to challenge people to card games or engage them in small talk at the comic shop; she's friendly and likes to be doing things, and while she avoids bothering people if she realizes that's a thing that is occuring, she starts out open and eager to engage before going more quiet and pleasant at a need.

today, she has gone through Hell as a short person made so much shorter to set up - good lord this sure is a lot of board games. there's clue, and life, and monopoly - and they're big enough at this small side to walk around. it's ambitious, and she's even pulled out the "mousetrap" game although setting that up might be too ambitious. still, she's brightly cheerful (despite all the weirdness) when she says: ]

Oh, hey! Welcome to the Comic Corner! Do you want to play a game? If you win, you can get a discount!

iv. may 5th: :c books

[ as it is exam season, levy can also be found in the library on top of one of the desks, frowning at one of her text books. ]

...Oh! Do you mind helping me get the cover open? I think I can do the pages on my own, but the cover is really heavy. [ she's just lucky the librarians helped her haul this book over here, okay. ]

v. may 6th: woods

[ she hasn't been taken in by the music yet - not quite. instead, levy is caught looking at one of the flowers, echoing the song, the whispers, just barely leaning in - her lips are pursed as she tries to make it out, staring. what was she doing here again? she can't quite remember. ]

vi. may 7th: rainy days

[ the thing about spring showers is that they don't always come with a warning. and right now, she's small enough that's troubling. levy yelps when the water starts to come down the street, and scrambles towards a bench - but she's way too short and it's way too slippery to climb up.

she glances around, a little frantic. ]

Oh! Here, I'll boost you up, and you pull me up! We have to be really fast! [ come on, you're in trouble, too, right? ]

vii. bonus

[ she worked so hard to get one of those maps down and to drag it across the room and to try to take it back but - yeah.

dust storm time. levy's coughing, immediately, and trying to get the dust off of her, and sorry you got caught up? that wasn't on purpose, okay. ]

wildcard

[ alternately, please feel free to write something of your own for me if none of those work, and i'll roll with it! i'm also happy to write up special starters for people if you drop me a note on my plotting comment to hash something out! i would absolutely be thrilled to work out any explorations or shenanigans with absolutely anyone, so please feel free to hit me up if nothing here works for you. ]

III

[impulsives]

Yeah, I'm uh. Here to pick up my preordered model kit?

[ Normally Shin looks kind of dead mentally, considering the bags under his eyes that are there for most of the time, as well as his generally slouched posture. But now he's also sporting several scratches here and there, as well as some torn parts of his shirt.

Yea. He's not having a great day so far.]

[crushcard]

A: 5/3, streets of Recolle

[ Fuck, first that ridiculous App from Hell, and that post about the weird arm body changes could still never prepare for him being suddenly six inches tall. This is especially terrible because one glance around his bedroom and it's ridiculously easy to conclude that everything else is not six inches tall. Tony called this an acid trip and Seto is starting to believe him.

Fuck. He's going to lose so much time at work because at this.

It's made even worse when he finally manages to leave his house and try to make his way to his office - light up circles appearing under his feet and that stupid song that just won't end? Even stuffing it into his pocket doesn't help.

He's about this close to tossing his phone into the nearest trash can, cost of replacing it be damned, and he's distracted enough by the wailing of his phone that he's going to bump into someone and his phone is probably going to end up clattering onto the floor.

Seto is going to give said someone a Look before realising that his phone is finally silent. ] Finally. About fucking time.

B: 5/4 onwards, exploring and all that jazz

[ So guess who's fallen into a sidewalk crack (they're like mini cliffs, jfc.)? Thankfully he's somehow managed to land in a way that he hasn't concussed himself, although the way he's rolled to a stop? It means that his coat is more than a little scruffy and he's a little bruised up.

1. Still, Seto's still quite intent on trying to scale up the sides of the walls because he has meetings and work to get to, damn it. Are you going to help, or are you going to help him?

2. Or maybe you've found another victim of the mist, because curiosity killed the cat. Or knocked Seto out, if you'd rather. He's probably lying in the middle of whatever path you're trying to get through. ]

C: 5/5, rain u suck (en-route to Tisse)

[ It's a Friday but it's a TERRRIBLE Friday because he has a lunch meeting with a client to get to, but even he knows that his umbrella isn't going to save him from raindrops that are suddenly lethal deathtraps and he's definitely not planning to die by drowning.

Maybe you have a RC car, or an animal that you've tamed. ] Hey, you. [ Forgive him if he sounds harried and short. ] I need a lift to Tisse, it's urgent.

C: 5/7 evening, mindtrip much

[ It's the steady, rhythmic pattering of the rain, along with the eerie light of the flowers that lulls Seto into a trance of some sort. If you wander a little bit off the path, you might spot his form standing in front of a particularly bright flower, his fists clenched, eyes shut, his posture a little too straight that it actually looks uncomfortable, and he's talking to himself in harsh, ragged Japanese, although his words are a little too muffled to actually make out until you step closer.

Why even is he in the forest anyway? It's not usually a place that he can be found at. ]

E: WILDCARD

[ GIVE ME ANYTHING i'll run with it!! hmu at thelightroyale if you want to plot! ]

A

[prometheanflame]

[Mohammed can find some small favors in this turn of events. He doesn't drive to work, so the journey to the bus stop isn't as frustrating as it could be. His clothes shrank with him. Iggy didn't attempt to eat him on the way out.

But the song? Does Jim have to add insult to injury? Mohammed fiddles with the volume control on his phone while running to the museum, equally ignorant of the people around him. He not-so-gracefully rushes into Seto, keeping his balance and phone.

He looks horrified.] Sorry! I was busy with my phone--

[It's silent. Huh.]

[originallutece]

III. 5/3 - 5/5 [Around RU Campus]

[It sure is nice being a professor. There's not a whole lot of perks, but at the very least, you can call off class whenever you're feeling awful. And today most certainly qualifies as a day she feels awful. Fuck teaching.]

There's no class for the next week or so. I'll be typing up some study guides for you all to go through, and you ought to keep up with your readings; between that, you ought to be fine for your exams in a few weeks. Neither Fawkes nor myself will be available in person; any questions will be eventually answered.

-R. Lutece

[Of course, that doesn't mean she's not on campus. She most certainly is. If you stop by her office, you'll run into her: sitting at the edge of her desk, scowling and furiously typing on her phone, trying to ascertain how many others have been effected and what precisely is happening. She's going to sleep there for two nights, because like hell she's venturing out onto the street during this kind of nonsense. Quite possibly she'll be tugging out a bottle of wine she's kept for particularly stressful evenings; at least that hasn't shrunk.]

II. 5/6 [on the streets]

[Now, never let it be said Rosalind Lutece jumps into things blindly. She's heard stories about some of the weird flashes of light and swirls people have seen when they've fallen into the cracks of the city, and of course she's simply got to investigate it, because that's utterly fascinating. Armed with her cell phone, a needle (for protection purposes) and a notepad and pen, Rosalind at least waits until someone else comes along and agrees to join her before leaping down into a sidewalk crack. Perhaps she texted you in a demand to come join her, or maybe she's just calling to you from off the street. Who can say!]

IV. 5/9 [into the woods]

[She's a scientist. The lure of the unknown would be tempting enough even without all the, you know, siren song shit going on. Rosalind pauses her and there, listening with a furrowed brow, writing down observation after observation as she heads deeper into the woods. There doesn't seem to be much wariness in her gaze, and maybe there ought to be, because that's an awfully big spider that seems to have taken notice of her . . .]

BONUS; 5/7 [Retrospec]

[Of course she's going to explore. It had taken a fair bit of finagling before she'd figured out a way to get to the Retrospec building, but she's here now.

Of course, having a companion helps. Rosalind isn't a cooperative person by nature, but she's not going to turn down a little help when she's this size. But nor is she waiting around: bold as brass, she slips through the lobby and heads towards some of the rooms.]

ii

[overtwohundred]

[ It's a damn good thing Nisha's got her gun and it's appropriately sized; wouldn't that be even worse if it were way bigger... She'd certainly be more pissed off. Shockingly, she's taking this in stride--if she can't do anything about it, why not have some fun with it? Admittedly, she's not sure what she's doing, really, other than wandering around the city.

... It's taking longer than she'd care for, but hey-- ]

Need a hand? [ she asks as she goes over to join her. ]

[toushiro]

ONE.
[ this is actually the worst. after managing to run out of the house and avoid getting accidentally trampled by any of elda's million cats, hitsugaya's on his way to school. it's weird how nobody else seems to think this is strange on the streets; then again, just a little while ago, he would have thought the same thing too.

will he run into you while the song's playing? or will you catch him trying to avoid any of the dogs running amok on the sidewalk? there's one particular moment in which the crack in the sidewalk is huge, and hitsugaya just.

stops and stares.

how do we get over this without running into that anthill to the left? or...should they venture in and see what awaits? ]

TWO.
[ hitsugaya's at school now, trying to get out his pencil in preparation for the pop quiz. he's not the only one struggling, but this...this is a Challenge on its own. he's getting it up onto his desk, shoving the tip on as he pushes from the eraser end of it. he's almost got it...up until it slips from his grip and rolls onto the floor.

he lets out an audible groan. why? why would they give a pop quiz when things are like this? what kind of teachers--oh, whatever. it's obvious he'll need a little help with it, if anyone's kind enough to give him a hand. ]

THREE: WOODS.
[ hitsugaya's not one to wander off on his own, but something about that song... something about it is so compelling in a way he can't describe. as if he was destined to be here, in the woods, jacket on and hiding under a leaf from the rain. his desire to not be abandoned, to stop doubting that he'll never find a place to belong echoes through his mind and stings at his chest.

he's only at the entrance, but he's here now. though...hitsugaya looks hesitant to go in. if you're here, you can push him to come with you, or maybe take shelter from the rain first. ]

WILDCARD.
[ don't see anything you like? feel free to suggest any of the prompts i did not write about, or make your own! ]

ONE

[crushcard]

[ Hitsugaya's on his way to school, Seto's on his way to work, and it just so happens that their paths manage to cross on their respective routes, although in this case it's a rather spectacular collision in the form of both of them trying to avoid one of the dogs running amok on the sidewalk. Even though it's a puppy, it's still gigantic when they're both shrunk down to their current sizes, and the puppy? It's also not really looking out at where the hell it's putting its feet.

So when the puppy's foot comes dangerously close to stomping onto Hitsugaya, Seto's reaction is almost instinctive, grabbing the smaller boy by the back of his collar (and then he's promptly thrown off by how light Hitsugaya is) and almost tossing him away from the puppy before he himself dodges out of the way.

It takes a few moments for Seto to catch his breath before he looks at Hitsugaya, concerned. ]

You okay there?

[destiny_key]

I. May 3rd: I never even read the Borrowers when I was a kid

[The past few days have been extremely strange, at least as far as Sora is concerned. It started last week, with the weird bug thing, and then the Retrospec app showed up on his phone and computer a few days ago. That stuff was weird, but still manageable and within the realm of possibility, and nowhere near as crazy as waking up suddenly about five feet shorter.

His first thought was, understandably, 'what the fresh hell is going on', followed by 'oh god I'm going to be short forever'. He got over this pretty quickly, however, when his mother busted into his room and told him he was late for school. Somehow, he figured that maybe school was the least of his problems right now.

Which is why, when leaving the house, he decides to follow the light up path instead of going to school. Exploring and figuring out what's going on is way more important!]

III-A. May 5th: Arietty is a fantastic film, though

[A few days into this nonsense, Sora comes up with the brilliant idea of riding Buck, his dog, around town, rather than attempting to walk. And by 'came up with', I mean he saw someone else doing it and decided to copy them.

Just in time, too, as the short reprieve they've had from the rain these past few days seems to be coming to an end. Sora makes sure to grab his umbrella this time.

He'll be wandering around helping anyone who looks like they need it.]

III-B. May 6th: All Ghibli films are amazing tbh

[Still, Buck can't be there all the time, and Sora, being Sora, was bound to run into trouble sooner or later. It was raining, now, downpouring since yesterday, and Sora had only gone into the tall grass because he thought he'd heard something, really.

It just so happened that that something was a mouse, and now said mouse was chasing him down the street. And no he's not screaming, that's just his shoes squeaking. Yeah. That's what it is.]

HELP!!!

[He slides into a hiding spot in a large crack in the sidewalk, and is instantly soaked up to his knees from the water puddling inside it. Gasping for air, he leans against the side of the hole he's hiding in, and looks up at the mouse swiping at him from above. He's soaked, miserable, his homework is probably ruined, and now he's stuck in a hole. Not a great day.]

IV. But still, my heart belongs to Howl's Moving Castle

[Sora's not sure how he ended up in front of the woods. He remembers that soccer was cancelled because of the rain, and he started the long trek home from school shortly after. He knows the route home by heart, has walked home every day by himself or with friends every day since he moved here.

So how did he end up somewhere else?

He's not been in here very often before, but he's almost positive that song had never been a feature before. And neither had these lovely glowing flowers. But, since he's here, he might as well check it out, right? Who cares that it's miserable outside, the woods is totally the place to be.

And when he walks in, he swears he can hear his Dad's voice.]

Wildcard. Ponyo is a close second

[Come at me bro! Plurk is datfearlesschick if you wanna plot!]

I

[crushcard]

[ And the light-up path leads Sora directly to Seto, who's standing at a traffic crossing looking mildly put out because not long after getting his phone to stop screeching that ridiculous song at him, it's starting up again, and this time, even his fiddling with the volume controls doesn't seem to be able to do anything.

It will stop when Sora approaches, though, and Seto looks up, surprised, looking right at Sora almost critically. Seto has never seen Sora before, and oh-- ] So the music stops playing when you run into someone else? [ It's supposed to be muttered under his breath but it's probably loud enough to hear-- and then Seto says, louder, so that Sora knows that it's directed at him: ]

Out of curiosity, do you happen to have the Retrospec app? [ There's an edge of loathing when he says the name Retrospec because he wants this shit to be over and done with, seriously. ]

[chuusai]

i.

[ This... he can deal with this. Sure, getting out of bed this morning felt like something that belonged at some kind of adventure park, and his clothes looked like doll outfits in his suddenly massive dresser, and he had to wash up in the sink because the shower was completely out of the question, but Mao can deal with this.

He can even deal with light-up sidewalks happening one day on his way to school. Sure. The lights are a great distraction from the music coming from his phone, which he can still hear even after he stuffs it at the bottom of his bag. Mao takes a few experimental steps while looking down, hopping forward and back and not really paying as much attention to everything else around him as he should be.

He didn't mean to bump into you! But aren't you seeing these lights around your feet too? Because they're there! ]

iv.

[ It's easy to ignore at first, especially because Mao loves a good spring rain to wash the pollen away. He embraces the rain. Then he gets slammed by a couple of huge drops and it gets even harder to ignore. There are voices.

Mao's not an outdoorsy type but here he is, with a big leaf as an umbrella, just at the edge of the Apprassage Woods. He knows what the voices are promising is impossible, but it's hard to believe that. It's so convincing.

His father's dead. He's not in there. But... what if he was, somehow? Nothing else is how it's supposed to be lately, after all. What if that's true, too? ]

wildcard! do your worst.

SLAMS IN HERE WITH A IV

[adoringpast]

[ Sena also isn't the outdoorsy type, but some of his photoshoots involve going out to the Woods sometimes. So him ending up here just outside of the woods is rather strange.

Even more so with Mao in the scene. The voices emanating from the flowers are echoing throughout the forest, but it's hard to discern them. ]

Oi.

[ Might as well catch his attention, tilting his clear umbrella to get rid of the wetness. ]

[liberal_arts]

[ i - don't be afraid - recolle university ]

-In an attempt to better evade Retrospec's stalking eyes, Kasen had decided to actually spend the night at his secondary studio in the Kaneda building. At first he'd attributed everything around him to a trick of the mind, of course, a compounding on his consciousness from his lack of sleep and his guilt over failing to reach out to his brother before he moved back to Japan. Or perhaps it was that disassociation from himself manifesting in a more profound form, painting his vision until he literally was an object, small and obscure in the world.

Or perhaps he was just literally shrunk. Getting outside the building was no small feat, given his studio was locked and on the second floor. He can be found trying to scale a water drain, panicing every step of the way. He calls out to anyone below or nearby.-

H-hello!? A little help, please?! Excuse me! I could use some assist-AAAH! -He slipped again, clinging even more tightly to the pipe.-

[ ii - phantoms - recolle university ]

-He wasn't quite certain just what, specifically, had drawn him into this world of darkness. He'd thought he had heard a voice calling out to him, something achingly familiar yet wholly alien, and he was drawn to them. Further and further into the inky black, finding the source in speckles of faint, dying light beyond.-

I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air...

-He just kept quoting the poem to himself as he moved further in, as if a madness had overtaken him, reaching out into that seemingly eternal void, as if to find a hand waiting for him to take.

Someone needed to drag him out.-

[ iii - undertow - various locations ]

-Things had gone from bad to worse. A flood was sweeping Kasen away, who had only just barely made it to his apartment the day before by making use of one of his outdoor cats who'd come across him and, thankfully, had recognized him. But he'd be no help now in this torrent that was threatening to sweep him away.

But Kasen had learned something about himself in the time he'd been struggling to survive so far, in that he was far more capable in a pinch than he'd originally thought. And what had once been palette with its deep insets and relatively light weight made for a hell of a pontoon, and a long brush a hell of an oar. He made his way, heading back to the University. But he came across more than a few people who were threatened to be swept away.-

Come on! Take my hand! -He cried out to them, reaching out while keeping his grip on the oar secure.-

[ iv - cadence of her last breath - apprassage woods ]

-The call of the voices had been enough to draw him away from the Kaneda Building, the University campus entirely, to hike out to the woods just as evening was setting in. A haunted longing pulled at his heart, and each step felt heavier than the last as he walked among the spectral flowers, their glow casting him in an even more eerie light.-

What am I? -He whispered it without thinking, unbeknownst if any were nearby that could hear him. He was, once again, entranced. But more than that, it was here the feeling of disassociation was at its strongest. That he was not a person at all, but perhaps like the song, a phantom in the night...-

[[ Kasen is available for the Bonus prompt, but he would not show up there on his own. Lemme know if you want him with you for that! ]]

III

[sakeplz]

[Well it's one very wet drag queen here. How he doesn't look terrible is known only to the power of waterproof makeup and Jirou just being amazing. But now he's getting ready to be taken away by a bottle to who knows where. Not that he looks that panicked by this.

Of course he's happy to get the help!

Reaching out, he somehow manages to catch that hand and drop himself onto the new makeshift boat with an oof!]

Oh! This does feel safer than the bottle!

[aegist]

i. may 3rd: meet-and-greet (locked to first-come-first-serve "someone new" so if you've never threaded with thalia come @ me)

[ probably everyone is as annoyed as thalia grace right now? she assumes, anyway. she's tiny, breakfast was a pain in the ass to make (and she thinks? her groceries will expire because they can't eat all the food they have suddenly and also how the fuck do you peel an orange when you're this tiny without like a knife being involved), and she has exams and why is this during exam season, holy shit.

the ghostbusters song on autoloop really only adds to her ire, so when your circle of light finally hits hers, you're treated to a scowl that only softens when she says: ]

Please let talking to you make this stop.

[ AT LEAST SAVE HER FROM THE AUTOLOOP, WHOEVER THE FUCK YOU ARE ]

ii. may 4th: but shortcuts tho

[ there are so many little nooks and crannies in the world and she's pretty sure this particular crack will put her out on the right side of the school building she's in at the university to get to her class on time. where she has an exam? so like. thalia is All About this even though it looks frankly dangerous and stupid.

she slants a glance over as she takes a step forward. ]

Well, it should get us to the B wing. You coming?

iii. may 5th

[ today thalia grace learns something about herself. specifically: she learns she has the ability to shock people. she...has yet to learn to specifically entirely control it, but the power has definitely manifested, and when she's faced with Miscellaneous Bugs coming at her over water, she does the logical thing: she slams her hands into the water and -

nothing. god damnit okay she needs more practice. she keeps trying, as the bugs get closer, and eventually she manages it - a brief shock, conducted through water.

a short fist pump in the air feels called for? ]

iv. may 6th: may as well try everything

[ getting to school is still really fucking difficult, and today there is a feral cat and. god okay she mutters something and throws up her arm and her bracelet becomes a Terrifying shield which actually makes the cat flinch - there's a bow slung over her back but she doesn't draw it, instead looking over. ]

Come on, before it recovers! [ she means run. not kill the cat. like, she's going that way, you're free to follow her or not? ]

v. may 8th: rainy days

[ there's too much water on the street and taking refuge on the steps at school is like. well. now what? ]

Do you think folding a paper boat would work? Or...floating in a bottle cap. Or something. God, we're going to have to sleep here.

vi. may 9th:

[ or maybe you're fighting bugs or something and an arrow comes out from behin you to skewer one.

that's damn good aim? ]

Thanks, summer camp, good to know you weren't a total waste of time. [ she's notching another arrow. ]

wildcard

[ alternately, please feel free to write something of your own for me if none of those work, and i'll roll with it! i'm also happy to write up special starters for people if you drop me a note on my plotting comment to hash something out! i would absolutely be thrilled to work out any explorations or shenanigans with absolutely anyone, so please feel free to hit me up if nothing here works for you. ]

MAY 5TH: LUKE "BIG HUGE IDIOT" CASTELLAN

[aegist]

[ luke blew off their plans. luke never blows off their plans. thalia's never given it much thought, but if luke tells her he'll be somewhere (or if she asks) he never breaks that word. he'll lie to her and be a jerk and whatever else luke castellan does, but he'll always come when she calls and he never doesn't.

so when he blows off their plans thalia is predictably confused, annoyed, and pissed the hell off all at once. she manages to figure out his location only because she Saw Him go into the woods or something (WAVES HANDS VAGUELY DON'T MAKE ME THINK TOO HARD TY) and when she darts forward to grab at his elbow it's with her most severe scowl. ]

Hey, I thought we were grabbing dinner?