002 - Growing Pains

[tabularasa_mods]

Growing Pains State of the World ▲ Locations ▼ Bestiary
OOC ▲ Comments A Light In The Darkness
Light seems to have been especially tricky for the world to comprehend, but it finally, finally seems to have figured things out. Light comes from more than just the sky, and now signs and lamps that were once dark have begun to glow brightly. From the Wall Market's dazzling exhibition of color to the dimmed street lamps of the City of Tears, the whole world has been made bright and lively once more without losing the comfort and tranquility that darkness brings. Even the broken screens of the Hammerlocke Stadium give off a pleasant glow, and the world doesn't seem to care that some lights need electricity to stay on - lights are simply lights, as far as the world seems concerned.

Unfortunately, these new lights are a little too simple. Without any need for a power source, there's no way to turn the lights off - if something is deemed a light source, it will always function as a light source. The only way to stop it is to destroy the object beyond recognition, but that might not be the most practical solution. Covering up the lights is the next best thing, but it's a task that's easier with some sources than others. At least no one needs to sleep yet.

Difficulties aside, now seems like the perfect time to start exploring all those new corners of the world that were previously too dark to navigate. Fire is an easy, safe and portable light source that anyone can use, and it even puts itself out after awhile. Just be careful not to get stuck in the dark by a stray breeze.

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Who's Hungry?
Animals need to eat. People need to eat. These are simple facts that people lost in the strange, changing landscape all seem to be well aware of, yet appear to not apply to this world. That is not to say that people can’t eat or drink, for many people do, but there is no actual need. Eating provides nothing but the knowledge that one has eaten, and anyone might go without food entirely. Lately, some might have found eating has become more satisfying and fulfilling an act, as though food is providing them with a vaguely-defined something they didn’t get before. It doesn’t seem to mean much in the grand scheme of things, but perhaps it allows them some sense of normality.

When hunger sets in, it’s sudden. Every person, whether or not they ever needed to eat in their homeland, is hit with a powerful, overwhelming sense of hunger, to the point it feels that if they do not eat they will soon starve. Those who have never eaten in all their time here might easily find themselves so hungry they can barely even move, and have little choice but to eat. Fortunately, food is plentiful. If it can be put in the mouth, chewed and swallowed, it is food, and thus will give a person temporary relief from their hunger. What goes in does not appear to come out, instead simply becoming part of that person and revitalizing them. How long it takes to feel hungry again seems entirely random, and each time there is no lead up - someone is either fine, or they are starving, without any in-between.

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Starving Mad Beasts
When people suddenly remember hunger, so too do the animals of the world. For some creatures this isn't an issue - the tall-necked beasts continue to graze on the treetops like they always have, and the smaller creatures seem content with snacking on whatever small scraps they can find. Not all creatures are so easily satisfied, however, and the more aggressive ones have turned to attacking other species for food.

The vicious water dragons are quick to clamp their mouths on anything within reach... but, lacking teeth, this doesn't amount to much. Still, they're as persistent as ever, and in a way their inability to viciously devour their prey only makes them more dangerous. These beasts are starving, and for all their skill in chasing down prey they can do little to actually eat their catch, which means they're constantly on the hunt and out to get anything that moves. Perhaps it might even be a good idea to help them out, if feeding the fish might make them a little less aggressive.

The machines are far better equipped for hunting, and all the more dangerous now that they're hungry enough to take a bite out of someone. Death is not a concept the world understands, so it's not like they're doing any permanent harm, but it's still a bit unnerving to see animals limping by with bite-sized chunks taken out of them. They haven't had a taste of people yet, but it doesn't seem like it'll be long before they try.

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Mushroom Hunting
Mushrooms are a new sight within the world, and a perfect snack to satisfy that sudden debilitating hunger! Harvesting them can be a bit of a problem, however. For one, they are massive, and the task of cutting one down and breaking it into edible chunks is made much easier with a group of people than one person working alone. Finding the mushrooms in their dark habitats may also be difficult... although, it is much easier to spot a mushroom the size of an entire person compared to something much smaller.

The real problem with mushroom hunting is where they can grow, which is nearly anywhere indoors. Though light now comes from other sources besides the sky, there are still buildings with dark corners that might suddenly acquire a giant mushroom or two (or three, or four) if left alone. And if those mushrooms are allowed to remain, they may just continue to grow, and grow, and grow...

So, if you don't want giant mushrooms bursting through your roof, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for them before that happens.

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code bases by tricklet

Comments

Seto Kaiba | Yu-Gi-Oh! | OTA

[blue_eyed_obsession]

I. A Light in the Darkness (Takoma Beach)

What in the..... [The words trail off as Kaiba temporarily abandoned his search for spare parts. Drawing up his left arm he inspected the hardware attached there. Initially thinking it might have been a trick of the light he is pleasantly surprised when he assumes incorrectly that his duel disk is receiving power again. The display screen intended to keep track of a person's life points is lit up and there's also a faint glow around all the slots on field. Instinctively, he has to test this phenomenon further. Reaching over with his free hand, he made an exaggerated motion to draw one of his cards, merely sparing the face of the card a brief glance he socketed the monster onto the field.

............. And absolutely nothing happened.

Expelling a huff, and not saying anything additional he returned the card to his deck. Whatever is going on it's obvious that the equipment isn't fully functioning. A second look clues him in that he should have realized it immediately. There were no numbers being displayed, only the backlight. In an attempt to conserve whatever power left, he tries to deactivate the device, but nothing works. Eventually he's forced to abandon the task.]

Now that that little diversion is out of the wa- [Once again he abruptly stopped talking. A scan of the horizon had clued him in that there were other new sources of light. They were at a distance from here, but still visible.] I'll just bet that those lights aren't any more controllable than these. [Still, it would be better than sitting in the dark when one was inside]

II. Who's Hungry (Wall Market)

[Navigating the caves had become considerably easier now that he had not one source for light but two easily at his disposal. With his phone in hand he was using it as a flashlight substitute as he navigated the winding passages. This still seemed like a fool's errand, but once again impatience got the better of him. It was better to know what was in here, and where it led in case it ever became a significant location. I mean, plenty of RPGs like to hide the key items in peculiar locations. He just wasn't expecting the dimly lit central business district. When he first stepped onto one of the concrete walkways, he had to pause letting the sights sink in.]

I know I said this place was too rural, but even this is a little much. [Resuming his search, he continued forward mildly glancing at the food stands and locating the bathhouse- which mind you he decided never to enter. Somehow there was no appeal to getting undressed and hanging out with strangers in the same state.

There was just one teensy weensy problem with this whole thing. Kaiba, had never been much of an eater. Sure, he had some dishes he enjoyed but he often went for long periods of time without indulging. There was just too much work to do in a day- and he was thinking of this more or less like work. So it didn't matter that there was plenty of food here, when that feeling of hunger struck it was swiftly letting him know that he'd waited too long between meals. It was actually physically unnerving enough that he let out a gasp of surprise, his eyes widened and he had to reach out to the nearest structure for support so his knees wouldn't completely give way beneath him. Honestly, he'd never seen the point in partaking of the local fair when it had no effects, but this.... this was something entirely different. As stubborn as the brunette was he tried to start walking once more, keeping one hand in contact with the wall but it did him no good.

Dropping to one knee he groaned, annoyed with himself for not being able to have better control over what was happening. You could 100% tell that he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon and he wasn't thrilled about it.]

III. Starving Mad Beasts (Takoma Beach)

[Having metaphorically rolled-up his sleeves, and literally temporarily removed his long white coat, Kaiba had taken to using the beach as a sort of work shop. There were portions of it that were less traveled, it had some of the most even ground not interrupted by trees, plus it's proximity to a water source might come in handy. Having used some of the paper from the apartments he'd mapped out a schematic of an object he was trying to create from the items he'd collected earlier. He had the plans propped up on some driftwood as he took it upon himself to try to make anything that might be capable of sparking an electric charge. The tools he had were rudimentary but functional. The object he was making had taken some form and looked to be about 35% completed. Not having a steady supply of nails, screws, bolts, etc was making this more arduous than it should be.

Somehow, he just knew that this was all going to be for nothing but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

There was just something he hadn't counted on.

On the beach he had a fairly decent vantage point. He could see if anything or anyone was approaching long before they got near... unless they hitched a ride in the parts he'd collected. What made it worse was that he didn't even realize this species existed to be on the alert for it in the first place. During the course of his multiple trips to and fro the animal had made it's self quite at home. It took a nibble on the would be generator, then decided it needed something meatier to sate it's hunger with. When Kaiba shifted to reach for some paneling, the beast lunged out of the incomplete project and went straight for Kaiba's shoulder.]

Wildcard! Seriously, I want to do all the things

[koopacrusher]

A. Food
(Lemon Cello Church)

Shortly after the world changes once again, Bowser can be found hiding in the corner of the Lemon Cello church, messily devouring entire cakes. If approached, he turns around, with cake residue covering his hands and face. "What?!" he asks demandingly, before he shoves a piece of another cake into his mouth.

B. Robot Beach
(Takoba Beach)

Having satisfied his hunger, Bowser goes to Takoba Beach to do more exploring. There he sees that, peaking out from below the water is something new. He goes to explore it, when he hears something. He looks to see someone he's previously seen interacting with some Piranha Stubbies. So he approaches the person, keeping his distance, and asks, "Did that Piranha Stubby just... talk?"

C. Playing with Fire
(Mortis Lake)

At least a few hours, and possibly over a day, after the world changed once again, Bowser makes a fire. He's heard from someone, somehow, that fire now exists, and he wants to see what it can do. Of course, the first thing he'd done upon hearing the news was try to breathe fire, to no avail. Nevertheless, he's been experimenting with the fire that does exist, trying to cook things, to burn things, and to see what exactly it does. As he's been there a few "hours," the forest has fluctuated between it's "night" and "day" states a few times, though it's currently "day."

At the moment, he's sticking his hand directly into the flames. He pulls his hand out of the fure and sees that it is now aflame. He stares at it dispassionately for a moment, before simply uttering, "Huh."

D. Home Base
(Heavenly Blanc)

Bowser, now knowing that hunger can come at any time, has not stopped eating. It may even have reached a point that Bowser is becoming a drain on resources. Nevertheless, he sits at his usual spot in the Heavenly Blanc with some food that he's gotten there.

Ren Amamiya | Persona 5 | OTA

[forethinking]

i. 🍛 Heavenly Blanc - Bar, Cafe & Curry

(When the hunger strikes, Ren is behind the bar of Heavenly Blanc and he gasps, stomach making a loud statement that maybe, just maybe, ingesting the absurd amount of coffee he has been is not really enough for sustance.

The fridge is stocked, which is a blessing for a quick snack that felt like nothing not too long after. After attempting fire a number of different ways, knowing it was possible thanks to Akechi, Ren finally managed to get some going and brought to the shop. Finally, it's time.

Whoever comes to Heavenly Blanc will be greeted by the aroma of homemade Japanese curry, gentle notes of nutmeg mixed within the spices and a beaming Ren carefuly stirring the food in the kitchen.)

One second, I'll be right with you!

ii. Merlaut Apartments

(With new flowers to put around his room, Ren stepped into the lobby with the certainty that nothing out of the ordinary would happen. Whatever ordinary was.

He was deeply mistaken, as the lights begin to flicker and suddenly, the entire place comes to life. How...? When? He closes his eyes to avoid the light from straining his vision and blinding him temporarily.)

... Why exactly now?

(Not a complaint, just... Why?)

I

[zenryokubatankyu]

[Well, post-angst, Osomatsu's taken up a habit of visiting Ren again. And it's on his way to Heavenly Blanc today that it hits him. He's eaten stuff, sure, but he hasn't eaten for ages...and suddenly he's feeling it.

He mumbles some curses under his breath as his stomach gurgles, and he groans. Well, good thing he was on his way to a place with food, anyway! And when he steps inside, he sniffs the air, and he can smell it. CURRY! And he hears Ren's voice!]

Ren! REN! REN REN REN REN REN!!!! IS THAT CURRY? I'M STARVED! CAN I HAVE SOME? PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!!!

[He's bouncing on his feet next to the bar like a hyper child. Please.]

iv. wildcard

[abeautifulgame]

[at some point, Kaiba is going to have to come 'home,' and when he does, he'll find Damien sitting outside, perched on one of the planters, head turned to one side, lost in thought]

[this place was a Godsend, at the start -- an escape from his ultimate fate, a chance to refresh, recharge, regain himself, because he went a little off the rails at the end there, didn't he? -- but now it's getting a little stale. the fact that he can't sleep to pass time is one thing. the fact that there's a few dozen fucking computers, inside, from the cheap laptops in every room to one of the nicer computers he lifted from the lobby, and he can't do anything with any of them is another. the 'power', such as it is, now, is a nice change, but god, what he wouldn't give for this place to figure out actual power, any day now. he's getting impatient. he also would sell -- well, someone here to Satan, for one corn chip, if this place could figure out how to put in an accessibility ramp or two. Chicago was a lot of things, but at least he could go do something, if and when he wanted to, instead of having to be fucking Aiden, with all his parkour, just to go shopping. and -- ]

[ -- and movement catches the corner of his eye, derailing his train of thought. he looks over, soured by that, then relaxes a little when he sees who it is. he and Seto got off to a rocky start, but they also found their common ground, and maybe, he has something for him, information-wise. that'd be an improvement on this miserable not-day]

Enjoying what passes for power, these days?

[small talk, get!]

[forethinking]

Eh-

(Oso is like a hurricane!! He wasn't expecting the cries or the yells so he jumps a little in place before he laughs. Of course Oso can have some.

He gives him a thumbs up with a smile before serving a nice portion with some rice and serving some coffee to go with it, setting it gently on the counter.)

I hope it's good.

(... Hopefully Ren still got it!)

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[What a miserably unproductive 'day' it had been for the impatient young inventor. By the time he decided he needed a break from his self-assigned tasks he felt mentally exhausted if not physically so. As he approached the apartments there was no liveliness to his steps, it was as if he was being dragged the whole way rather than moving of his own volition. What little progress he had achieved had been negated when one of the new creatures had decided to eat it. An object made primarily of metal.. and it ate it. To top it off, he had his own struggles with sating his hunger, and it was humiliating. He just wanted to go somewhere where he could be out of sight for at least a little while...

When he noticed the figure up ahead, Kaiba straightened his posture, and dusted off his jacket while he was still at some distance. Appearance was everything, and he didn't want everyone else zeroing in on his defeatist attitude. This was a setback- that's all.

Now with his head held high he neared the entrance to the building]

...... [For a moment he debated whether Damien had prior knowledge of his experiences and was being a snarky bastard- but it didn't really fit. It wasn't the new light sources that were tasking him. So after some effort not to infuse his words with his negative emotions he stopped, crossed his arms and responded] At least we aren't living like moles any longer... [Or, yes] I won't try to pretend that I'm not disappointed with what a small concession it was. [His duel disk was still lit up, faintly glowing on his arm] I haven't found a way to harness this power for anything else...

ii.

[bachagain]

[ oh no, dead body! better leave it.

just kidding. leo's also the type to shove eating aside when particularly engulfed in a task, but fortunately not eating felt weird enough that he'd indulged now and again.

it's what he had been doing now, actually, judging from the plate of sushi in his hands as he scrambles on over to mr. rich dragon man, collapsed and groaning on one knee. everyone sure is having a time, huh...

don't mind the plate being shoved in your direction, kaiba. ]

Here, here! We got back something pretty inconvenient, so you gotta take care of yourself...!

[ he's assuming this is what the groaning mess is about, anyway. ]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Or poke it with a stick.

Thankfully for Kaiba- Leo doesn't do either of those things or he would remain in dire straights. These were literally the worst hunger pains that Seto had ever experienced in his entire eighteen years and that included the times he'd been denied proper sustenance by his adopted father who deemed it a suitable punishment for increasing one's focus on their studies.

In fact, when the sensation first struck him he was more concerned that he'd contracted some spontaneous illness, or a new creature was trying to claw it's way out from inside of him. But no, it was just starvation of the worst caliber setting in.

Initially he has to force himself to look up enough to even attempt to focus on the sushi. He started to reach out to shove it away, and tell this busybody what he can go do with himself but as some point his survival instincts kick in. He doesn't know whether you can die from this or not- so he had better not balk at what could be his only salvation.

Without getting words past his lips he swiftly grabbed one of the sushi and risked ingesting it. Being reduced to this and eating like an animal was appalling. After a few more have a chance to settle into his stomach, he feels as if he can try to stand back up.] Tell noone what you saw. [Stressing the words as firmly as he can muster. thanks or something]

C

[mightdoriya]

Izuku hasn't had a chance yet to explore all of the newest changes to the world. Fire in particular, though familiar and a relief to have around again, isn't something he treats any differently than he ever has. Fire is fire, after all...and you don't want to get too close to it. Naturally, you'd be burned or worse if you did, right? Even with the way the normal laws of physics just do not always apply here, it doesn't occur to him that this could not be the case solely because fire = hot = don't touch is just...common sense.

So when he happens to be passing through and spots Bowser across the way, a couple things hit him at once. First, he thinks Bowser might be a new creature and not another person brought here like everyone else (somehow, he hasn't seen him until now). At least until he watches from afar for a bit and realizes that no, that probably isn't the case...not when it looks like he built that fire he's standing in front of. Izuku has seen people with mutant Quirks that make them look beastly before- Gang Orca comes to mind- so he's less of a surprise than he could be, even if he is still scary...

But then he watches as Bowser just sticks his hand in the fire, and he can't stop himself from reacting.

"W-wait!! Don't-!"

He lurches forward, though it's not like he could do anything...Bowser is huge, and also it's too late because his hand is on fire. But when he doesn't seem harmed by it, Izuku stops.

"...E...eh?"

[koopacrusher]

Bowser reacts with surprise when someone objects to him setting his hand on fire. Not because that is an unusual reaction, but because he was unaware anyone was there.

"It doesn't burn," he explains after regaining his composure, gesturing with the flaming hand. "It doesn't even hurt. It's pretty warm, but that's it." He looks at his own hand, studying it.

"I've been doing a lot of experiments with this," he says, gesturing at the flames not on his hand. "I don't think this place has fire any more figured out than time or wind." With that said, Bowser walks toward the lake so as to put out the fire on his arm.

Turing | 2064: Read Only Memories | OTA

[begetblue]

1: Who's Hungry (around)

[ Turing's reaction was indeed sudden. It was enough for them to panic, but...panicking required energy that they didn't have. Their batteries were fine, and their diagnostics were showing no issues! So why? They wobbled on their feet, each step threatening to send them plummeting to the ground, and their normally brightly-lit display had dimmed to almost nothing. Walking hadn't been this difficult since their initial activation.

Something was very wrong, and Turing had no idea what it was. ]

H-help... m--

[ Thud. ]

2: A Light in the Darkness (Wall Market)

[ After Turing felt well enough to be out and about (or they sneaked out, either/or), their first order of business was to learn more about the lights. Surely the lights being on meant there was some sort of electricity somewhere, right? The strings of lights seemed like their best option. All they needed to do was find the other end and hopefully the outlet they were plugged into.

Then they passed by the food stands. The smell had always been nice, but now that they had gained a real sense of taste and not just a simulated one, the BBQ and sushi were things that also required further investigation. There were so many kinds of sushi as well...

No! That could wait! They tore away from the stands and continued on. However, when they finally did manage to find the outlet for one of the strings of lights, they did not get what they expected. ]

What...?! Why are they still on?

3: Mushroom Hunting (Merlaut Apartments)

[ See, the problem with the cracked walls, aside from the obvious, was that they were a particularly fertile ground for mushrooms. Perhaps fortunately, Turing was a tidy sort, so once they started popping up, they all had to go. Right away!

This eventually resulted in Turing carting around a slightly precarious pile of mushrooms in their arms. It also didn't help that they could only just see over the top of the pile. ]

Oops--!

[ The pile very nearly gave way, but it eventually settled to Turing's relief. ]

Phew...

4: Wildcard

[ Do the thing! My plurk is here. ]

iii.

[pinwheels]

[ She's still not entirely sure how food works in this place, but after the hunger struck and she ate enough for at least three people her size, Rinoa feels the urge to go for a walk. It's probably unnecessary, but the beach is kind of nice anyway, if she ignores the ever-present piles of trash. Felix is with her, full of energy as always as he dashes ahead several paces at a time before turning to run back to her; the sand crunches under her boots and she thinks not for the first time that it would be nice if they could work out how to clean the place up, and keep it clean...

She spots Kaiba some distance away, and approaches him with the idea of saying hi, perhaps pestering him a little, but as they get nearer, Felix makes a sound unlike any she's ever heard him make before: a chirp that sound suspiciously like one of alarm. She stops in her tracks, frowning. Whatever Kaiba's working on seems to be... moving?

Sand kicks up behind her as she sprints toward the unsuspecting man, Rinoa readying her Shooting Star on her arm. ]

Look out!

[ A lot of things happen within just a few moments: a creature lunges out of the scraps; Rinoa fires the bladed wings off her arm, hitting the beast square in its head and causing it to stagger back; she skids to a halt, sand flying, between Kaiba and the creature as the weapon boomerangs back into its place; Felix settles by her side, the soft fur of his back standing erect as he makes a sound somewhere between a growl and an unhappy squawk.

Rinoa glances back over her shoulder, eyes narrowed in concern. ]

Hey. Are you okay?

I

[yinception]

[You know what you always need for embarrassing displays like that? An audience! And luckily for Kaiba, Wuxian is here to provide just that. (Actual luck not guaranteed; past performance is no guarantee of future results; etc.)

On the bright(ish) side: Wuxian is not actually laughing when he walks up to Kaiba. Exaggerated motions aside, the action reminded him a lot of certain uses of "magic" from his own world.]

A talisman? What was that supposed to do? [A gives a very deliberate judging look.] You weren't trying to set the place on fire, were you?

[He doesn't actually believe that, but the mental image is funny to him.]

[abeautifulgame]

[no, he has no idea what Kaiba's day has been like, so he appreciates him not snapping at him. he does, however, make a face, though his sourness isn't directed at Kaiba. it's more:]

So am I. [he fishes his phone of his pocket and waves at Seto] I'd thought for a minute ... [he'd hoped, but no. he blows out a breath, frustrated, and puts his phone back in his pocket] It's irritating.

[a beat]

It also makes me wonder if it's actually putting out power. [is this true electrical power as they understand it, or is this just an extension of light, which this place seems to keep getting wrong? he's inclined towards the latter, but] ... what I wouldn't give for a multimeter.

i.

[comburst]

[ A certain nerd has probably mentioned Ren before, not like Katsuki, uh...retained that knowledge before ever. He just knows that the cafe is the only place that's even remotely stocked with food, which is why he's coming in. He can smell curry cooking, though if it's spicy enough for his tastes is up in the air...

He's bold enough to let himself inside and to head to the kitchen, though. ]

Do you live here or something?

[ Everyone's just sort of...living wherever, so it wouldn't surprise him. Maybe this place even "belongs" to glasses McGee. ]

[theforgottenboy]

A. Let There Be Light (wall market/caves)

[Cole's general impression of the market in the caves hasn't been a great one. It's too dark, the architecture is strange and maze-like, and even if there are some interesting displays of food and drinks, he doesn't need either (or didn't, depending) and most of the buildings are empty inside, which is of no use to him.]

[This time, however, it's shiny enough to rival the Fade.]

[It takes some investigating and poking around for him to determine that the lights can be removed, and he sees nothing unusual in the fact that they continue to provide light even when disconnected. While he doesn't personally have a reason to collect a bunch of lights, it's still pretty dark in the caves on the way here, and he knows at least some people like to come here despite that. Maybe more, now that this place has light.]

[So he spends a while collecting an assortment of bulbs- regular ones, colorful ones, it doesn't matter so long as they're small enough to carry and there's still enough light left behind that they won't be missed.]

[And then he retraces his usual path out of the caves, occasionally leaving a bulb on the ground behind him. It may not be the brightest light to see by, and there's no guarantee the local wildlife won't make off with them- but for the time being, this particular cave trail is a little more colorful.]

B. Mushrooms for Everyone (wherever)

[Hunger is bad. After his initial encounters with it, it doesn't take long for him to notice the local creatures showing signs of this new phenomenon as well, and being the helpful spirit he is, takes it upon himself to help out where he can.]

[You may spot him carrying a plastic bag he scrounged up from the beach trash, collecting and either hand feeding or offering bits of raw mushroom to any assortment of critters- the cat birds, the chicken nugs, the paint tails, the long necks if he can get them to lower their heads enough. Do you have a pet (or pokemon) that likes to wander? They're getting free mushrooms.]

[Perhap a bit more precariously, he can also be found trying to feed some of the more aggressive metal species, usually by throwing a handful toward them and booking it rather than sticking around in their territory.]

[Or maybe you spy him crouched in the branches of a tree near the forest lake with his bag of mushroom chunks sitting by the trunk, looking out over the water and pondering if it's even worth it to try and feed the angry fish...]

C. Hunger (hammerlocke) (cw: dissociation) (limited prompt- no more than 2 threads pls)

[He's searching one of the shops in the ruins of Hammerlocke when the first wave of hunger hits hard, sharp, and completely without warning. It's enough to draw a startled gasp of pain from him as he stumbles back as if struck, which, for a brief moment he's looking down expecting to see an arrow or dagger sticking out of his stomach.]

[But that's not what this pain is. It's been long enough he'd almost forgotten, but with it hitting him so blatantly now it's impossible to forget once the memories are pulled back to the surface. But this isn't right, he knows he doesn't need to eat. That is right, isn't it? When he starved to death that wasn't- this isn't-]

[Is it? How does he know? He doesn't know where he is, not in any way that defines him. Is this what he is now? Is this real? Is any of this real...?]

[He tries to move, but the hunger saps his strength and he collapses against the nearest wall, sliding down to the floor with his back pressed against it. It's cold and dark here, not as dark as that cell was but it overwhelms him anyway, the pain and fear more solid a shackle than anything here and now.]

[He remains there for a time, trembling and tightly hugging his knees before he can find the will to call for help, and even then it's weak and frightened.]

P-Please, is anyone there- it hurts...!

Katsuki Bakugou | My Hero Academia | OTA

[comburst]

LET THERE NOT BE LIGHT ACTUALLY

[ While the lack of light was annoying, the new lack of...not light is no less annoying? Katsuki's already discovered that light switches do not turn off lights indoors, but he's also figured out that undoing a ceiling light and unscrewing the bulb - he doesn't seem worried about being burnt, for some reason - also doesn't do a single thing.

He ends up instead with several lit-up bulbs, looking butt-mad about it because how fucking dare they not turn off? He doubts it's going to wear the bulbs down, but why doesn't anything ever work like it's supposed to around here?

Right now you can find him smashing one of the light bulbs to the ground to uh, see if tha turns it off. Although it looks more like a temper tantrum than an act of science, and it's honestly probably a mix of the two. ]

OUTDOORS COOKING

[ Now that there's officially fire, Katsuki can make a campfire at a bit of the beach that has been cleared off, moodily sitting near to it to stare at it. Moodily. Is this teenage angst?

Not actually. He's more just brooding over how much school and training he's missing, but it looks like he's having way edgier thoughts than that just because his expression is always over the top murderous even when he's calm. Blame the narrow eyes.

Still, he's also working on carving a bit of driftwood with a knife.

He seems to be making...

Some sort of hollow ball? You can investigate if you want, since he'll look up and acknowledge whoever approaches with a nod. Not antagonistic, but not over the top friendly, either. It's about neutral for Katsuki.

Or you can catch him later after he finishes the ball and puts some scavanged makeshift noisemakers inside. He then...

Throws the ball for the pidgey-owl-cat that's following him around. This is also not remotely edgy, good job keeping up that reputation as a hooligan, Katsuki. ]

MURDERLORD

[ The pidgey-owl-cat known as Murderlord is just as hungry as everyone else, and he's not an obligate herbivore by any means so he's just like every other animal here...trying to take bites out of other ones. And since he's part cat, it's actually Really Fun to take bites out of other animals and then watch them try to walk uneasily away despite this. He's perpetuating cruel and unusual punishment, but since death isn't a thing here it should be okay...right?

Hopefully anyone else's smaller pets stay away when he's living up to his name, although he's very friendly to humans these days for the most part.

When one of the machines comes at him with "jaws" wide open, however, Murderlord hisses and Katsuki stops what he's doing (...whittling arrowheads?) to rush over, sword drawn. ]

Why are we living in a bad sci-fi movie? Murderlord, get behind me.

MUSHROOM CLEANING (MERLAUT APARTMENTS)

[ After being asked by his...not-friend? to live in the apartments, Katsuki did in fact move in. It's better than sleeping outdoors whenever sleep becomes a Thing, and having a place to keep his shit is nice, even if it did require them to clean out an entire room and to try to clean up any common areas. At least other people are doing the same thing.

The giant growing mushrooms are making this more difficult, since they don't seem to mind just...growing inside and getting in the way and trying to get far too big to make the place habitable.

So Katsuki can be found hacking at them, swearing quietly to himself. Amazingly he can control his volume sometimes...but only if you catch him by surprise. He's using what looks like half a sword to do the deed, but the mushrooms just keep growing when he's focusing on one and not the other five. ]

Oh, come the FUCK on!

[ Okay, THAT was louder.

Maybe he could use an assist? ]

UNFORSEEN SIMULATION JOINT (JOINT PROMPT WITH IZUKU MIDORIYA, OTA)

[ While many of the new locations aren't familiar in the slightest - which doesn't surprise or worry Katsuki, who has been away from home for quite some time now even before he arrived here - the USJ is readily familiar...even if it's entirely different, like every other place that has appeared to his knowledge. Annoyingly enough Takoba's trash seems to have taken over the training location just like it did the beach that Deku cleaned up over a year ago, but that's something that can maybe be fixed.

From the looks of a few piles of things, Katsuki and Izuku had been cleaning, but they have since gotten distracted by what usually goes on here: training. Or...

Okay, it looks more like Izuku's trying to talk while Katsuki tries to strangle him, but they're using actual martial arts moves here, so they're probably not having a serious argument or anything since Izuku doesn't seem too flustered.

Not much more than usual, anyway... ]

Stand still already, shit nerd!

[ Izuku does not in fact stand still, causing Katsuki's lunge to miss and nearly hit someone else entirely...but he banks at the last second and whirls to aim a kick at Izuku, who is highly likely to greet whoever it is more politely than Katsuki's scoff.

Do you want to approach the fistfight? If so, tag order is you > Izuku > Katsuki. ]

WILDCARD

[ If none of the above wows you, feel free to throw me something random or hit me up via pm to plot - or at [plurk.com profile] roseburst or Maggie#0451, either of which you can feel free to add me at as well! ]

Mushroom Cleaning | Gotta tag outside my own prompt

[mightdoriya]

[Izuku had been, in a word, relieved that Katsuki agreed to move into the apartments. Not that he figured he'd refuse...even though Katsuki has been known to be stubborn enough to do some ridiculous things, sometimes. Izuku had banked on the fact he wouldn't be stubborn enough to just live outside, and it turns out his intuition on that was correct. Arguably, it's a more ideal set-up than living at the castle, even if the court had pretty lavish accomodations...

It's hard to relax in a place where you're constantly on alert, and know that all of the higher powers are always watching, breathing down your next.

So, the apartments. Plenty of other people had the same idea to move in, but since there were more rooms than people, they wouldn't have to fight for space to live at the very least. Or, they wouldn't, if there weren't these mushrooms everywhere.]

Kacchan! There you are.

[Izuku sounds slighty out of breath as he rounds a corner with his backpack on his shoulders, slowing when he spots him hacking apart the mushrooms as fast as they appear. It prompts Izuku to reach back into his bag, pulling his own sword free.]

Ah- here, let me help.

[comburst]

[ Like, the bigger possibility of a no was always going to be refusing to live specifically with Izuku. He only agreed because they've been stuck together for like half a year or more now...

Even THAT wasn't going to guarantee a yes, but luckily it did for the time being.

He narrows his eyes at Deku when he comes around, though. ]

I can handle it myself!

[ Another mushroom sprouts right behind him, nearly knocking him off his feet.

THIS IS FINE! ]

[mightdoriya]

[Yeah...that's just the picture of things being fine, truly.

Izuku will...ignore that as he walks up to start to chop at one of the big mushrooms that just about knocked Katsuki over at it's base, though he's not confident it's going to last even when he's finally cut it down.]

They really are popping up everywhere...I wonder if anybody has tested to see if they're edible yet or not.

[Knowing some people here he's met...he's sure SOMEONE has.]

[mightdoriya]

It's so unnerving, but...Bowser seems to be right. The flames are licking up his hand, but without actually burning it. It's not enough for Izuku to be brave enough to stick his own hand in the flames, of course, but...almost enough.

Izuku will follow Bowser as he akes his way over to the water, keeping an eye on him just in case those flames suddenly spread. They may not burn him, but that doesn't mean they can't burn other things.

"What kinds of experiments have you been doing?" Izuku asks. "Other than, uh...putting your hands in it, I mean."

lance | pokemon hg/ss | ota.

[thunderwave]

lights and shrooms

[ at the sudden appearance of mushrooms all over the world, lance and dragonite both are interested in seeing whether or not they're . . . you know, normal mushrooms.

thankfully, lance's pokegear camera light seems to just be constantly on, which is annoying in literally every other respect except poking around the darker areas of mt. silver to find mushrooms. and you can find lance and dragonite by a mushroom that they've managed to bring down, as lance is thoughtfully chewing on a piece. ]

It tastes normal. [ mildly enough to dragonite, who seems to sniff the mushroom with a snort before returning his attention to the entrance of the tunnel they've poked their heads into. ] Small miracles, I guess . . . want one?

[ he asks, offering a piece of mushroom to dragonite, who huffs to himself.

lance being a vegan has never made a single lick of sense to dragonite, and he doesn't plan on trying to understand his best friend now.]

someone feed the dragon.

[ lance has gathered an armful of mushrooms and is strolling toward the lake area, idly talking to dragonite as he goes, casually popping another piece of mushroom into his mouth without really thinking about it. ]

I feel as if we've been here for some time, but it's difficult to place why I feel that way . . . if we had some type of cell service, I could at least try reaching the Plateau.

[ dragonite seems to agree, stretching his wings thoughtfully, ducking his head to nose his snout into lance's side, grumbling something, which lance seems to understand. or at least put together what his friend seems to mean. ]

Right . . . being stuck in their PokeBalls for such a long period of time without being able to open them --

[ but lance stops talking as dragonite suddenly stops walking, emitting an odd noise as the seven-foot-something dragon-type suddenly all-but collapses on the path they're on, and lance blinks at the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind him, looking over his shoulder with a furrowed brow. and once he sees that the dragon-type is on the ground, the mushrooms are abruptly dropped to the ground as lance turns on his heel to quickly kneel next to dragonite, carefully resting a hand on his side. ]

-- what is it, what's wrong?

[ it's quiet, but it's obvious that he's Very Concerned (tm) about his weak, exhausted, suddenly starving to death friend, who is apparently too weak to lift his head. and lance immediately shuffles to dip his hands into a pouch attached to his belt, to fish out a berry. ]

Come on, lift your head --

[ help, please. ]

wildcard.

[ hit me up with other prompts if you want! ]

[comburst]

I just fucking said - !

[ STOP HELPING HIM he elbows Deku but then more or less...surrenders, but not quietly. He's annoyed as ever... ]

As long as they're not mixed with something poisonous, these kinds of mushrooms shouldn't kill us.

[ Not that they can currently die, but has anyone really tested that? ]

[koopacrusher]

Bowser uses the lake water to estinguish the flames covering his hand. "I've been burning stuff, cooking a few things, seeing what wind and water do to it. I've also been looking at what happens to it when this place does it's whole life/death shift thing."

Bowser returns to the fire he hasn't just put out as he continues. "This place's 'fire' doesn't seem like it cares what it's fuel is; it'll use anything. But it doesn't destroy anything you burn with it. The only way to put it out is with the water or waiting for it to die on it's own. The wind can also put it out if it gets bad enough. I'm not sure what we can cook, though." Finally, he adds, "My fire breath still doesn't work like it's supposed to."